NCJ Number
94474
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: (May 1984) Pages: 5-9
Date Published
1984
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article recounts the success and procedures of New York City's Department of Investigation (DOI) in investigating municipal corruption.
Abstract
The DOI investigates criminal conduct by city employees in the course of their official duties; criminal or fraudulent conduct by those doing business with the city; misappropriation of city money; negligence or mismanagement resulting in an atmosphere hospitable to corruption; conflicts of interest; and compliance with Federal, State and city regulatory mandates by city agencies and contractors. DOI's cases fall into several categories: bribery and bribe receiving, theft of city money or property, forgery of checks or official documents, impropriety in the awarding of contracts, and gross mismanagement or negligence resulting in wasted city resources. The DOI has a number of specialized units that reflect the variation in its cases. The 52-member Investigative Squad conducts both overt and covert operations, in a highly successful system that has been studied by numerous other law enforcement agencies. The examining attorneys are responsible for providing legal supervision to the other members of the investigative team. The Corruption Prevention Bureau staff consists of personnel with degrees in public or business administration. They serve as internal management consultants to the city, determining how a corrupt activity happened and what can be done to prevent its recurrence. The Department created the Computer Security Services Unit to help city agencies reduce the vulnerabilities of their computer system to abuse losses. While the Department is too small to monitor a city workforce of 200,000 employees, 2 programs -- the Inspector General Program and Marshals Bureau -- greatly extend the department's reach. Case histories are included.