The Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) has awarded the City and County of Denver Office of the Auditor a 2014 Distinguished Knighton Award for their report titled "Police Response Time Performance Audit". ALGA recognizes excellence in local government auditing through these annual awards. The Denver audit analyzed police response time trends from 2008-2013 and found that average response times increased as the police force decreased in size. The judges commended the audit for its in-depth analysis, potential to improve public safety, and demonstration of the value of performance auditing for local governments.

1. Association of Local Government Auditors
OFFICERS
President
Corrie Stokes
Acting City Auditor
Austin, TX
President Elect
Kymber Waltmunson
County Auditor
King County, WA
Secretary
Tina Adams
Deputy City Auditor
Charlotte, NC
Treasurer
David Givans
County Internal Auditor
Deschutes County, OR
Past President
Bill Greene
City Auditor
Phoenix, AZ
BOARD MEMBERS
AT LARGE
Carmelina DiMondo
Director, Forensic Unit
Toronto, ON
Craig Kinton
City Auditor
Dallas, TX
Pamela Weipert
Compliance Officer
Oakland County, MI
Kip Memmott
Director of Audit Services
City and County of Denver, CO
MEMBER SERVICES
449 Lewis Hargett Circle
Suite 290
Lexington, KY 40503
Phone: (859) 276-0686
Fax: (859) 278-0507
www.algaonline.org
April 15, 2015
Auditor Dennis Gallagher
Office of the Auditor
Webb Municipal Office Building
201 W Colfax Ave, Dept 705
Denver CO 80202
Dear Mr. Gallagher:
The Association of Local Government Auditors (ALGA) Awards Program Committee is
pleased to announce that the City and County of Denver, Office of the Auditor’s report
Police Response Time Performance Audit won a 2014 Distinguished Knighton Award
in the Extra-Large Shop Category.
ALGA was founded in 1985 to serve auditors who specialize in working with local
governments. ALGA members represent approximately 300 local government audit
organizations. Unlike the majority of auditors who work within a single industry, local
government auditors must work in an environment that encompasses a wide variety of
industries. Local government auditors are committed to helping their governments
improve service delivery to citizens while doing so more efficiently and effectively with
the limited resources available. In making the award, the judges commented:
The purpose of the City and County of Denver’s Office of the Auditor’s
audit was to determine and assess trends in police response time.
Through data analysis, the audit found that average police response
times increased from 2008 through 2013. The audit further concluded
the increase could be explained by the decreasing size of the City’s
police force. The Office of the Auditor concluded that the department
has not finalized the number of officers it needs to achieve its goals
and does not use police response times as a performance measure.
The auditors used regression models in their analysis of response
times. This report presented not only an in-depth analysis of police
response time trends, but also an in-depth review of police
department conditions that contributed to the changes in response
times. This report has the potential to save lives through establishing
a focus on measuring and monitoring police response times. This
report represents distinguished audit work and demonstrates the
value of performance auditing.
To encourage increasing levels of excellence among local government auditors, ALGA
created the Knighton Award in 1995 to recognize the best performance audit reports
produced by local government audit shops in the previous year. Each year, local
government audit organizations submit their best performance audit report to be
evaluated against five criteria: (1) an audit scope that has the potential for significant
impact, and is responsive to the needs and concerns of decision-makers and/or the
public; (2) audit conclusions that are persuasive, logical, and firmly supported by the
evidence, which was gathered using appropriate research methods and tools; (3) audit
recommendations that are feasible, and will make government programs more
effective and efficient; (4) audit results that are communicated in a clear, concise way;
and (5) an audit scope, methodology, recommendations, or report format that is
innovative. Judges from peer organizations determined that the Internal Audit
Division’s report was among the best of 2014.

2. Congratulations to the City and County of Denver, Office of the Auditor for receiving
this award!
Sincerely,
Corrie
Stokes, President Ben Thompson, Chair
ALGA ALGA Awards Program Committee