Hawthorne Municipal Code Ch. 3.16 Secret Service Account

There is established a secret service account to be administered by the chief of police. All appropriations made to the police department for secret service work shall be placed to the credit of said account and no expenditure shall be made hereunder except from funds appropriated therefor. No funds shall be appropriated hereunder unless full disclosure of facts in each case wherein funds are to be expended is made to the city council.

(Prior code § 2-1100)

Moneys in said account may be used by the chief of police for expenses incurred in criminal cases arising within the city, in which the people of the city or the people of the state are interested, and for such expenses necessarily incurred by him in the detection of crime. The chief of police shall not disburse or permit any of said secret service account to be used:

A. For augmenting the salary or allowance of any member of the police department for personal services;

B. For any fixtures, equipment or supplies for the general use of the department.

(Prior code § 2-1101)

As required, the chief of police may draw demands against said moneys, payable to himself as chief of police, and upon receipt of the said moneys, shall thereafter safely keep them and expend them for secret service purposes. It shall be sufficient in drawing demands on the secret service account to designate the purpose thereof, as "for secret service" and the auditor may audit any such demand or warrant and the city treasurer may pay the same without further specification as to object.

(Prior code § 2-1102)

The chief of police shall submit to the city manager, monthly or more often, a detailed account showing amounts and general purposes for which he expended or caused to be expended the funds so paid to him. So far as possible and consistent with the public safety, the city manager may require such statement to specify each expenditure made, the recipient thereof and the investigation or cause involved.

(Prior code § 2-1103)

When, in the opinion of the chief of police, the public interest would suffer by the disclosure of the name of any person to whom any sum or sums were paid or advanced, or the cause for which the same was expended or advanced, such record shall be maintained confidential, in the public interest. For accounting purposes, the chief of police may indicate the name of such person or describe the police operation by an appropriate key or symbol. He shall not be compelled to disclose the identity of such operative or operation to any officer or person except to the city manager, and any disclosures made as required hereunder shall be maintained confidential by the city manager, excepting where such disclosure reveals illegal use of such funds or malfeasance in relation thereto.

(Prior code § 2-1104)

No demand upon the treasurer or warrant drawn by or payable to the chief of police for secret service purposes as aforesaid shall be issued or paid until the chief of police shall first have accounted as required herein for all amounts previously advanced, showing the balance of such account still in his or her hands.

(Prior code § 2-1105)

Any person, other than a regular employee of the city who for a consideration or otherwise makes special investigations or furnishes special information to the police department in individual instances or for limited periods, shall not be deemed to be an employee of this city for any purpose and services rendered hereunder is not included within the competitive or personnel system of the city and no person rendering service hereunder shall have any claim of any kind whatsoever to the benefits or privileges of such system. Such persons paid by the chief of police from the secret service account for secret service information shall have no right to workers' compensation, leaves, vacation, retirement, permanence or any other emolument, right or privilege of employees of the city.

(Prior code § 2-1106)

The chief of police may, in the course of secret service investigations, expend the funds thereof in securing the opinion of handwriting experts, experts in ballistics and other experts in police science necessary to the conduct of crime prevention and detection by the department as well as for the services of special investigators, information and the like.

(Prior code § 2-1107)

Whenever the chief of police is mentioned herein, the powers and duties conferred may be exercised or performed by a deputy as designated by him or her. If funds are to be used for the investigation of any officer hereunder, the city council may alter the procedural requirements herein.

(Prior code § 2-1108)