\u201cOur audit of the main safe inventory in the summer of 2025 revealed no evidence of theft or tampering,\u201d the audit reads. \u201cHowever, the current duties of the Fire Department\u2019s Controlled Substances Program Manager (CSPM) are not sufficiently separated to ensure security of the medication.\u201d<\/p>\n It comes after a routine fire station inspection in April found signs of tampering on morphine sulfate containers. City officials later\u00a0announced the arrest of a fire captain<\/a>, Mark Moalem, on suspicion of stealing and tampering with the drugs, affecting as many as 17 stations. But emails\u00a0first obtained by San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight<\/a>\u00a0in May showed the city knew about drug inventory discrepancies, damaged vials and patient exposure for more than a year before Moalem\u2019s arrest \u2014 and kept quiet about it until questioned by this news outlet. Moalem was charged with two misdemeanors and a felony over the thefts and he appeared in court in May.<\/p>\n Following the publication of those emails, Santa Clara County\u2019s emergency medical services chief\u00a0blasted Sapien<\/a>\u00a0for sitting on those warnings and not\u00a0alerting county EMS. The county official also raised concerns that the San Jose Fire Department violated federal regulations for controlled substances.<\/p>\n City auditors last week said they found no further evidence of tampering or drug thefts during their audit conducted this past summer.<\/p>\n Sapien\u2019s office didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n What the audit didn\u2019t mention<\/p>\n Representatives for San Jose Fire Fighters IAFF Local 230, the union of city firefighters, welcome the findings \u2014 but argue there\u2019s a glaring omission.<\/p>\n \u201cThe audit confirms what our community already knows: San Jose firefighter paramedics continue to deliver exceptional care with integrity and professionalism,\u201d union President Jerry May told San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight. \u201cHowever, from the perspective of IAFF Local 230, the audit leaves out the most important factor that led to the systemwide issues in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n Around the time of Moalem\u2019s arrest, May\u2019s union lambasted the fire chief\u00a0for getting San Jose City Council approval in fiscal year 2023-24\u00a0to eliminate Med 30, a paramedic field supervisor program\u00a0it said played a critical role in drug management. The program had various responsibilities for ensuring timely medical care during fire emergencies, including investigating discrepancies in the fire department\u2019s narcotics inventory.<\/p>\n \u201cThe audit confirms what our community already knows: San Jose firefighter paramedics continue to deliver exceptional care with integrity and professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n Jerry May, San Jose Fire Fighters IAFF Local 230 president<\/p>\n Facing scrutiny after Moalem\u2019s arrest, councilmembers\u00a0approved the revival<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0Med 30<\/a>\u00a0in June, with new funding for seven months starting in December as\u00a0part of the budget vote<\/a>. It will cost $748,000, according to the budget memo.<\/p>\n \u201cProblems only began after the position was eliminated in fiscal year 2023-24, and specialized responsibilities were dispersed among staff already carrying heavy operational workloads,\u201d May said. \u201cWhile the audit makes several valid recommendations for policy clarification and stronger separation of duties, it does not examine how removing Med 30 created the conditions for these weaknesses to surface.\u201d<\/p>\n Sapien has defended his decision to eliminate Med 30, arguing it did not result in decreased oversight. He previously said the fire department\u2019s controlled substance inventory is managed by the same fire captain formerly assigned to Med 30.<\/p>\n Contact Brandon Pho at\u00a0brandon@sanjosespotlight.com\u00a0or @brandonphooo on X.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/LNM-20250616-SJSPOTLIGHTLOGO-01.jpg\")
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