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Police to sniff out YMCA mystery By Jonel Aleccia Bowing to public pressure, the Rogue Valley Family YMCA has asked the Medford Police Department to investigate possible employee embezzlement at the agency. The YMCA board of directors voted unanimously Tuesday night to seek police assistance in determining the fate of some $6,000 to $7,000 in possibly missing cash payments. The move reverses an earlier decision to let the matter remain an internal affair. "We are strongly committed to the kids, families and the community we serve," YMCA board chairman Tim Alford wrote in a prepared statement. "While there is no confirmed loss, we welcome the involvement of Medford police. Every dollar contributed to the YMCA is important." YMCA vice chairman Greg Applen echoed Alford�s views. "We want to make sure that at least the shadow of doubt is eliminated," Applen said Wednesday. Medford Police Lt. Tim George planned to meet Wednesday with YMCA officials to start the investigation. George said his officers would interview YMCA employees and review YMCA records, including an audit released in mid-September that revealed errors in cash receipts, but no firm evidence of missing money. George estimated it would take two weeks to discern whether a larger investigation is warranted. "Our job is to investigate the unknown," he said. "If we can�t figure out what has occurred within a reasonable amount of time, we probably won�t." YMCA officials said they discovered this spring that someone may have been bypassing computer systems and falsifying cash receipts. General director Mike Cronin last month said cash controls were tightened and that the agency did not want to spend time and resources investigating the issue. "Since then, there has been some public pressure, some public knowledge of the issue," Applen said. He added: "We�re convinced that we�ve done all we can do and should do, but we�re not a police agency." Jackson County Sheriff Bob Kennedy last week called for a police investigation into the matter. The United Way of Jackson County, which grants some $80,000 annually to the YMCA, requested a meeting Oct. 25 to discuss cash controls in the wake of the possible loss. Inviting police to look into the matter "seems like really good news," said Dee Anne Everson, United Way executive director. "It�s an appropriate step to make sure everyone in the community maintains the trust they have in the YMCA," she said Wednesday. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.