City has subsidized $1.7 million in security costs at private events in last two years

An internal audit slated to be presented to a City Council subcommittee on Tuesday shows that the municipality’s general fund has subsidized about $1.7 million in private security costs over the past two fiscal years under the San Antonio Police Department Off-Duty Employment program.

The internal audit found several shortcomings in the program, from annual operating losses to delayed billing and unsecured credit card transactions that could have led to “potential theft and abuse of client information,” the report stated.

“The city incurred a loss of $872,000 administering the Off-Duty Employment program in FY2014,” the audit states. “This is in effect a subsidy for providing security related services for private events held at City facility. As result, the general fund absorbs the excess cost of operating the program.”

Erik Walsh, the deputy city manager who oversees the Police Department, said he and then-Police Chief William McManus asked the city auditor to review the program. The Police Department, he said, has already enacted new polices that address most of the issues raised in the audit. There was no evidence that any unsecured credit card information was exposed and the system has since been improved.

To find out what else city staff wants to do to tackle the problem, visit www.expressnews.com or read the Tuesday edition of the San Antonio Express-News.