cops screw up evidence and they get a bunch of money out of the screw up. Original Article Police updating procedures on evidence care Holly Johnson The Arizona Republic May. 3, 2005 12:00 AM SCOTTSDALE - The Scottsdale Police Department is trying to comply with recommendations from an internal audit that found that the property-crimes unit failed to properly document and store items. Some of the major changes include building a $32 million facility and $400,000 for the unit. The 63,000-square-foot Support Services facility, located at 7601 E. McKellips Road, will house the property and evidence division as well as the new crime lab and communications hub. Construction is to be completed by the end of next year. The November audit found that documentation of impounded property did not accurately reflect whether that property had been released or destroyed. Some items in possession may not have been accounted for, and it was unknown how many pieces of unneeded evidence were in the department's possession. Some of the recommendations that followed in December included changing the way invoices for impounded property are prepared as well as identifying and disposing of items dating back to the late 1980s and developing a database for managing impounded property. Police Chief Alan Rodbell said the understaffed property unit didn't prioritize dispensing with old evidence, especially when new items needed to be processed. The department expects to comply with recommendations by the end of the year. "It wasn't a debate of agreeing or disagreeing with the recommendations put forth by the audit," Rodbell said last week. "We're all on schedule."