$45 Million Homeland Security Boondoggle in Cook County, Illinois

A $45 million dollar security program funded by Homeland Security to make citizens safer has been called a disaster and taxpayers' dollars wasted.

The Cook County program was riddled with equipment that failed to work, missing records and untrained first responders according to a report issued the inspector general of the U. S. Department of Homeland Security.

The program consisted of fixed cameras that would send video back to a central command center. In addition to those camera, two police squad cars would be outfitted with cameras to send live video back to the command center. These cameras would be used in the event of a terrorist attack or emergency in Cook County.

The cameras failed due to extreme temperatures and people were poorly trained. Additionally, the report pointed out that there were "missing records, improper procurement practices, unallowable costs and unaccountable inventory items."

The report also points out that FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) did not exercise oversight over the program.