Press Release  Auditor Bump Commends Bristol Superior Court for Improvements to Oversight of Cash, Evidence, and Case Files

Boston — State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump is commending the Bristol County Division of the Superior Court (BCSC) for improvements it has made related to the collection, documentation, and storage of cash, evidence, and case files. An audit released by her office today, which examined the period of July 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018, assessed what steps BCSC took in response to a 2014 audit that found problems in this area.

“In our last audit of the Bristol County Superior Court we made a number of recommendations to improve operations. It is clear that the Court heard and heeded our call to action, and has taken great strides in protecting evidence, handling cash, and safeguarding files,” Bump said. “I commend the court for its commitment to accountability.”

The 2014 audit found the Clerk’s Office did not secure cash that was collected throughout the day and it lacked segregation over cash received. It also found the Clerk’s Office did not adequately safeguard evidence and BCSC did not have a tracking system to monitor the removal of case files. Today’s audit found these issues have been resolved.

BCSC presides over civil and criminal matters within Bristol County. It is responsible for scheduling, holding, and recording proceedings in civil and criminal matters and for the care and custody of all the records, books, and papers that pertain to, or are filed and deposited in, the Clerk’s Office. During the audit period, it collected $784,539 in civil fees and criminal monetary assessments.

The full audit report is available here.

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