Man, that's a lot of White Castles
The Indiana State Board of Accounts says East Chicago Police Chief Augusto Flores and Human Resources Director Hector Rivera must repay $1,340 to the police department's petty cash for disallowed expenses -- including a run to White Castle, known for its hamburgers called "sliders."
Auditors questioned expenses including $740 for Christmas party catering, $375 for an employee party and baby shower and $194 in unaccounted-for funds. Rivera initially said some of the money paid for training seminar refreshments.
Because I have a soft spot for White Castle burgers -- similar to what Powers offers, for the uninitiated -- I think I could support a slider exemption to public corruption charges. My fondness is the result of a trip my editor in Michigan City and I took to Indianapolis for a three-day seminar on investigative reporting many years ago (yes, to the doubters, I am a trained journalist). This was back when newspapers just gave their traveling members wads of cash to spend on trips. My editor and I spent 90-some percent of our money the first night on a first-class restaurant the likes of which neither one of us had ever been to. That meant that for the rest of the trip, we had enough money to eat at White Castle.
Sliders for vistiting police, for a Christmas party, perhaps, even, for a baby shower? Leave the cops alone, for God's sake.
