The Region : Probe of County Purchasing Requested

Los Angeles County officials have requested a sheriff’s investigation of suspected criminal misconduct in purchasing operations of the county Public Works Department. The request resulted from a county audit prompted by allegations of $300 payments for $35 brooms and $78 payments for $8 wheels. “It looks as though there was some overpayment for certain supplies,” Auditor-Controller Mark Bloodgood said. “Some of our findings indicated the possibility of a criminal investigation, which we referred to the sheriff.” Roslyn Robson, a spokeswoman for the Public Works Department, said that “procedural changes to tighten our procurement operations” have already been made.