The DNC's $54K Blackberry and $30K iPhone

The U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance released a report last Tuesday that analyzed the work of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department during last year's Democratic National Convention. The 67-page report is titled, "Command, Control, and Coordination: A Quick-Look Analysis of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Operations during the 2012 Democratic National Convention," and while it highlights what CMPD did right and where the department failed, for the most part the feds believe our boys in blue did a good job. It's estimated that as many as 75,000 people visited Charlotte that week for the convention, and there were no major incidents reported and only 25 people were arrested--a great feat considering the number of protesters and the concern that was expressed by local and federal officials during the months leading up to it (read here and here).

Credit: bja.gov

The same day the DOJ released its report, CMPD released one detailing how it spent the $50 million federal grant (click here for the item-by-item list of expenses) it received to provide security during the DNC (if you'll recall, Tampa received the same grant for Republican National Convention security). Shortly after reviewing the report, several media outlets published articles that focused on some of the billed items, ranging from the $1.76 million spent on a wireless video camera system to the $450 shelled out for horse manure removal.

Then by the end of last week, media became intrigued by the publishing of a police report that was filed last month with CMPD by the Democratic National Convention Host Committee for lost and stolen electronics. Most of the 41 items listed on the nine-page report are things like mobile phones, laptops, and iPads. That's understandable considering the thousands of special personnel who worked during the convention (most of them brought in from out of town) and the thousands of pieces of equipment they were sharing. It's inevitable that some items would go missing.

But where the DNC has some explaining to do is why a reportedly stolen 13-inch MacBook Pro laptop is listed on the report as being valued at $75,537, an iPhone at $30,503, and a lost Blackberry at $54,250. The values of several items are grossly inflated on the report, including many laptops listed above $25,000, and to the extent that the 41 missing electronics are totaled at $465,142.97.

Maybe each of those iPads, MacBooks, and the like had special diamond-encrusted presidential seals on them to commemorate the re-nomination of President Barack Obama?

So far, I don't believe representatives from either the DNC or CMPD have commented on the missing items report.

Bling-bling, ring-ring. Credit: techflyover.org