NORTH CAROLINA STATE PROPERTY VULNERABLE TO THEFTNews-Record.com - Greensboro, North Carolina: News: State property vulnerable to theft, damageMonday, August 1, 2005
State property vulnerable to theft, damage


By Margaret Moffett Banks
Staff Writer
NEWS & RECORD

EXCLUSIVE
Business owners will tell you they're forever dealing with the aftermath of theft, embezzlement and vandalism.

The same is true for the people who manage taxpayer money.

More than $10 million worth of property -- computers, cars, cash -- has been damaged or stolen from North Carolina governmental agencies since mid-2001. Incidents range from employees embezzling thousands of dollars to stolen laptops and, sometimes, to situations that jeopardize public safety.

Other incidents are just downright strange -- like the raccoon who got trapped inside a wall at UNCG's Curry Auditorium, causing $50 in damage.

Taxpayers know little about these losses, which are reported to the State Bureau of Investigation and available for public inspection.

The SBI doesn't hide the database, but it doesn't publicize it, either.

Public or not, the problem remains a nagging and costly one for taxpayers. Agencies have seen these losses rise significantly -- from more than $844,000 during the 2001 fiscal year to nearly $4 million during the 2004 fiscal year