The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its third Quarterly Report of 2023, which summarizes concluded investigations, inquiries, intakes, and other operations of OIG, from July 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023. This report has been filed with City Council pursuant to § 2-56-120 of the Municipal Code of Chicago.
“This quarterly report showcases the rigor and impact of OIG’s work. Among the work reported here is the first publishable outcome of our work investigating fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loans by City actors—an ongoing effort in which we’ve identified more than 1,000 potential subjects. We successfully pursued a finding from the Board of Ethics that a restaurant manager bribed a City inspector, and we filed a successful lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County to prevent the obstruction of an OIG investigation,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “Meanwhile, we identified as much as $1.5 million in missed annual revenues and effected the revocation of the City licenses of two individuals charged with bribery-related crimes, and we continue to study the enforcement—and expose the underenforcement—of the Chicago Police Department’s rule against lying.”
In addition to its investigative work, OIG released eight publications this quarter, including ones highlighting missing data for response times to calls for emergency police service, an inquiry into CPD’s enforcement of rules to report misconduct, an audit finding successful outreach by the Department of Family and Support Services outreach to encampments of people experiencing homelessness, two follow-up reports, and more.
Throughout the third quarter, OIG continued its outreach initiatives to encourage people to contact OIG with concerns and suggestions related to City government. OIG was present at 21 events throughout the city, talking to Chicagoans about how to make government better. OIG also launched its new website which provides an accessible and user-friendly intake form, as well as advertising campaigns on billboards and CTA buses and trains across Chicago.
During the third quarter of 2023, OIG:
- processed 2098 intakes;
- initiated 39 new misconduct investigations and concluded 33 investigations;
- published eight reports, including a Public Safety report on the enforcement of Chicago Police Department members’ duty to report misconduct, and an audit on the Department of Family and Support Services’ outreach to people experiencing homelessness.
Read the report
Read the full report, released on October 13, 2023.
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The mission of the independent and nonpartisan City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in City government. OIG is a watchdog for the taxpayers of the City and has jurisdiction to conduct inquiries into most aspects of City government. If you see misconduct, mismanagement, ineffectiveness, or inefficiency, we need to hear from you. For more information, visit our website at igchicago.org.
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About the Office of Inspector General
The mission of the independent and nonpartisan City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity by identifying corruption, waste, and mismanagement in City government. OIG is a watchdog for the taxpayers of the City and has jurisdiction to conduct inquiries into most aspects of City government.
If you see misconduct, mismanagement, ineffectiveness, or inefficiency, we need to hear from you.
Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for the latest information on how OIG continues to fight fraud, abuse, and inefficiency in Chicago government.