FOR RELEASE:
January 15, 2025
PRESS CONTACT:
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773-478-8417
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has published its Quarterly Report for the fourth quarter of 2024, which summarizes concluded investigations, inquiries, intakes, and other operations of OIG, from October 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. This report has been filed with City Council, as required by § 2-56-120 of the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC).
OIG processed 1,745 new intakes in the fourth quarter, for 10,862 intakes for the year. This represents an increase of more than 30% over 2023.
“We use the information we receive in intakes to prioritize and shape projects, to inform and focus transparency initiatives, and to identify misconduct by bad actors in City government,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “This quarter, we report ten administrative investigations in which we identified misconduct by those under our jurisdiction. In seven of those ten investigations, we recommended that subjects be either terminated from their City jobs or designated as ineligible for rehire by the City. It is a great privilege to work in public service, and our work this quarter reflects the belief that those who abuse the public trust ought not continue to enjoy that privilege.”
The sustained administrative investigations reported this quarter include ones in which OIG found that:
- Multiple members of the Chicago Fire Department (CFD) falsified reports, made misrepresentations to the Chicago Police Department (CPD), and took other steps to provide “professional courtesy” to a CFD supervisor who was found slumped over the wheel of their vehicle;
- A Department of Finance employee misused their access to City systems to award themselves more than $6,500 worth of unearned compensatory time;
- A police communications operator with the Office of Emergency Management and Communication violated the City’s residency rule, fraudulently obtained loan funds from the federal Payroll Protection Program (PPP), and lied to OIG;
- A Public Building Commission (PBC) commissioner improperly used their position in an attempt to influence PBC employees to engage a company in which the commissioner had a financial interest, and then failed to cooperate with OIG;
- Before joining CPD, a former CPD member fraudulently received PPP funds and lied to receive a housing voucher; and
- A Department of Streets and Sanitation ward superintendent attempted to sell an illegal machine gun to an undercover law enforcement agent while on City time and using their City vehicle.
“There is no place in the government Chicagoans deserve for such conduct. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who contribute to the deficit of legitimacy at which the City operates, and we will fiercely guard OIG’s independence so that we can continue to do so effectively,” Witzburg said.
Read the Report
Read the full report, released on January 15, 2025.
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.
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