The Ellis County Press: Red Oak’s ‘Top Cop’ suspended

Red Oak’s ‘Top Cop’ suspended
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Editor on 11/21/2002 00:00:00


JOEY DAUBEN
The Ellis County Press
RED OAK - Red Oak Police Chief Doug McHam has been suspended amid a city-led
investigation into his department's financial and accounting records for
'financial irregularities,' according to City Manager Ken Pfeifer.
According to city officials, independent auditors have not been able to track
expenditure records in the department's narcotics seizure fund.
For the past month, The Ellis County Press has uncovered numerous accounting
irregularities in the ROPD.
McHam said certain records were destroyed in the March city hall fire, but
recreations of his narcotics seizure fund, taken from bank records, show
irregularities.
McHam has been police chief of Red Oak for about six years.
The Ellis County Chronicle, a Red Oak newspaper purchased by the Waxahachie
Daily Light a couple months ago, recently featured McHam in an article
portraying him as Red Oak's 'Top Cop.'