Auditor: San Diego police steered vandalism board-up business to one company

San Diego’s city auditor criticized the Police Department this week for steering victims of vandalism toward a specific vendor for “board-up” services and for not having a policy in place for recommending vendors to victims.

The auditor’s report came in response to complaints from some businesses that the board-up company recommended by the Police Department, 1-800-BoardUp, tried to significantly overcharge them.

“We found that there is no policy and no contract in place that addresses the use of a private contractor, and that business owners and residents have been required to pay for services they did not agree to,” the 19-page report says.

When a business or residence is vandalized and police are called, officers are required to secure the building. If the property owner isn’t there, the police usually call a company to board up the broken doors or windows and the company bills the property owner, according to the audit.

Freddy Lacarra,…

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