The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its second Quarterly Report of 2023, which summarizes concluded investigations, inquiries, intakes, and other operations of OIG, from April 1, 2023, through June 30, 2023. This report has been filed with City Council pursuant to Section 2-56-120 of the Municipal Code of Chicago.
Notably, this quarter saw unprecedented enforcement of the City’s Ethics rules. When an OIG investigation reveals a violation of the Governmental Ethics Ordinance, OIG requests that the Board of Ethics (BOE) make a finding of probable cause to believe that the violation occurred; the Board then adjudicates the matter and assesses a penalty as appropriate. In the last 10 years, OIG has successfully pursued a finding of probable cause in 13 Ethics investigations. Three of those were in this quarter alone. Among those three was the first-ever finding of probable cause in an OIG Ethics investigation of a sitting member of City Council.
“As we go about our work in the service of our mission—to promote economy, effectiveness, efficiency, and integrity in City government—we talk a lot about ethical standards and holding people accountable when they break the rules,” said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago. “Talk, though, is not enough. We are pursuing enforcement of Chicago’s Ethics rules with greater frequency and rigor than ever before—paying down the deficit of legitimacy at which the City operates by ensuring that people who break the rules are held accountable, regardless of their positions.”
During the second quarter of 2023, OIG:
- processed nearly 2,000 intakes;
- initiated 41 new misconduct investigations and concluded 30 investigations;
- published six reports, including a Public Safety report on the underenforcement of the Chicago Police Department’s rule against false reports, and an audit of the City’s compliance with recycling obligations.
Read the Report
Read the full report, released on July 14, 2023.
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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.
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