Cape and Islands District Attorney's Office

This is a state performance audit of the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office covering July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.

“This report details the audit objectives, scope, and methodology for the audit period, July 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014.”

Auditors checked whether the office had proper controls and followed rules for grants, forfeited money, purchases, and other spending.

“This audit was undertaken to review certain aspects of CIDA operations related to grants, forfeited funds, purchases, and other expenditures to determine whether CIDA had established adequate internal controls and was complying with applicable laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and other guidance in the areas reviewed.”

The office handles criminal cases and some civil actions for the Commonwealth in Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket Counties, so its spending and controls affect public trust in law enforcement administration.

“The Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office (CIDA) administers criminal law and the defense of civil actions brought against the Commonwealth in Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket Counties.”

If you live in the Cape and Islands area, this office is involved in criminal prosecutions, grand jury work, investigations, victim and witness assistance, and community outreach.

“District Attorneys’ Offices also represent the Commonwealth before grand juries and assist with the investigation of a variety of criminal activities as well as victim/witness assistance services.”

The auditor did not report problems in the specific areas reviewed; every listed audit objective was answered yes.

“Below is a list of our audit objectives, indicating each question we intended our audit to answer and the conclusion we reached regarding each objective.”

The report does not list corrective actions or recommendations; it says the agency’s management discussed the report and its comments were included.

“My audit staff discussed the contents of this report with management of the agency, whose comments are reflected in this report.”

The audit matters because CIDA is one of the state’s 11 district attorney offices and serves a defined regional jurisdiction with 55 employees during the audit period.

“CIDA is one of 11 District Attorneys’ Offices located throughout the Commonwealth.”

An Interdepartmental Service Agreement, or ISA, is an agreement between state offices about funding or services; here, one paid for CIDA’s work related to the Hinton Laboratory breach.

“During fiscal year 2013, CIDA entered into an Interdepartmental Service Agreement (ISA) with the state’s Executive Office for Administration and Finance (EOAF), under which EOAF would pay the costs for CIDA to investigate, and respond to, a breach at the Dr. William A. Hinton Laboratory.”