OIG Releases First Quarter 2024 Report, Documenting Sustained Investigations into Serious Misconduct–Including Lying to OIG, A Mishandled Sexual Assault Investigation, Threats[...]

April 15, 2024

FOR RELEASE:
April 15, 2024

PRESS CONTACT:
Deanna Shoss, Communications, 773-478-8417

The City of ChicagoOffice of Inspector General(OIG) has published its first Quarterly Report of 2024, which summarizes concluded investigations, inquiries, intakes, and other operations of OIG, from January 1, 2024, through March 31, 2024. This report has been filed with City Council, pursuant to § 2-56-120 of the Municipal Code of Chicago (MCC).

"OIG has continued to focus attention and resources on holding City actors accountable when they break the rules, with investigations into acts of serious misconductof the sort which undermines public trust in government," said Deborah Witzburg, Inspector General for the City of Chicago.

In addition to OIG's confidential misconduct investigations, OIG also has the authority to recommend that an investigation conducted by the Chicago Police Department's (CPD) Bureau of Internal Affairs(BIA) or the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA)be reopened if it finds deficiencies in the investigation or underenforcement of applicable CPD rules, for example against rules against lying or the duty to report misconduct. "Beginning with this report and moving forward, we will also publish more detailed information on our mandated review of closed police disciplinary investigations by BIA and COPA, to shine a brighter light into a system whose complexities make for shadowy corners."

In its quarterly report, as required by law, OIG publishes de-identified summaries of sustained, completed investigations within the quarter. Among others, OIG investigations reported this quarter have established:

• A member of the CPD's BIA mishandled an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against another BIA member-and then lied to OIG about it. OIG has recommended that the subjectof that investigation be separated from CPD.
• Several CPD members mishandled an incident in which an intoxicated off-duty CPD memberwielded a firearm and intimidated a rideshare driver. CPD members who responded to the incident and wrote reports about it afterward violated a number of rules and laws, including CPD rules prohibiting false reports and disobeying orders and laws prohibiting official misconduct and false statements to the City. Against those members still active, CPD has imposed suspensions ranging from 7 to 25 days. A former CPD member has been referred for placement on the City's ineligible for rehire list.
• In the midst of a neighbor dispute, a Department of Streets and Sanitation employee threatened to use his City position to "bring heat" on a family of Chicagoans. On the basis of OIG's findings, the employee has been suspended for 29 days.

In addition to its investigative work, in this quarter OIG processed 2,149 new intakes. OIG also released five publications this quarter, including one on the City's complaint-based approach to services, final versions of the Audit and Program Review Annual Plan and Public SafetyOutlook detailing potential projects for 2024, and a follow-up report on the Department of Family and Support Services' Strategic Contracting.

Read the Report

Read the full report, released on April 15, 2024.

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About 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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