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Action News 5 in Memphis analyzes Beacon’s 2014 Pork Report, and gets the reaction of local officials who were caught abusing taxpayer money. One official even admitted to failing to follow the law:

Haywood County taxpayers forked out $41,000 for a new fingerprint machine, another $39,000 for two used patrol cars, and nearly $40,000 for new tires for school buses at Haywood County Schools. None of those items went through the proper bidding requirements.

“We try to comply with the law, but there are occasions that we don’t,” Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith said. “We didn’t fulfill the requirement, as far as advertising fingerprint machines or the vehicles, but we didn’t solicit bids locally.”

When asked if that was against the law, Smith said, “Well it’s a violation, yeah, and I get written up for it.”

Watch the entire story here.