RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A lawsuit alleges the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department misspent more than $4.6 million in federal coronavirus relief funding on flooring, office furniture, door keypads, cameras and bulletproof windows — upgrades that authorities contend were legitimate to reduce the risk of viral infection.
The complaint filed Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union and several local organizations argued the expenditures had nothing to do with the county’s response to the public health emergency caused by COVID-19 and asks the federal government to recover the money.
County officials countered that the upgrades “ensured appropriate physical distancing and safety."
