State & Local Reports

In the course of two separate disciplinary investigations, employees of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) reported to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) either uncertainty about whether they are obligated to report misconduct by members of the Chicago Police Department (CPD), or the belief that they are not obligated to do so. In light of the legal obligations of all City employees and COPA employees specifically, and given COPA’s critical role in Chicago’s police accountability system, OIG’s Public Safety section recommended that COPA provide refresher training to its employees on their duty to report misconduct by CPD members.

The Broward Office of the Inspector General (OIG) concluded its investigation into whether Town of Pembroke Park Mayor Ashira Mohammed misused her public position to benefit herself and her law firm. We found that she did, substantiating ethical misconduct as well as electoral misconduct that she committed while campaigning for election during the investigation.

The primary objective of this report is to show Missouri's spending of federal assistance in the month of July 2020 for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency and the cumulative financial activity since the state began receiving funding in April 2020.

Audit found the provider billed MassHealth for Group Adult Foster Care (GAFC) services given on the same day MassHealth members also received Home Health Program services, which is unallowable under agency guidelines. The audit examined the period January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018.

Audit found the provider billed MassHealth for Group Adult Foster Care (GAFC) services given on the same day MassHealth members also received Home Health Program services, which is unallowable under agency guidelines. The audit examined the period January 1, 2016 through December 31, 2018.

The audit found the nonprofit foundation, which provides financial support to Holyoke Community College, was using funds exclusively for the benefit of the college. It also encouraged HCCF to take steps to improve its financial management processes and transparency. The audit examined the period July 1, 2017 through March 31, 2019.

What Was Performed? An examination of Brandywine Nursing Long-Term Healthcare Facility as of June 30, 2017 was performed.The State of Delaware is required to ensure that the fiscal records at nursing care facilities are retained and properly support the cost report, or the financial report showing the cost and charges related to Medicaid activities, submitted to the Medicaid Agency. These costs must be in compliance with federal and state regulations.Why This Report? Under the Delaware Medicaid State Plan, the State is required to examine a sample of six facilities around the State. This is to ensure the facility’s costs reports and wage surveys are in compliance with federal requirements and state requirements.

The Public Safety Section of the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) has concluded a compliance evaluation of the City of Chicago’s release of materials pursuant to its Video Release Policy (Policy). The Policy requires that the City publicly release, within 60 days of incident, “videotape and audiotape and certain specified police reports” related to specified types of use-of-force incidents – certain types of firearms discharges, taser discharges resulting in death or great bodily harm, and use-of-force against individuals in police custody resulting in death or great bodily harm involving Chicago Police Department (CPD or the Department) members. OIG’s evaluation found that COPA is not in full compliance with the requirements of the Policy in that COPA does not publicly release all relevant materials for all use-of-force incidents mandated by the Policy within 60 days of the incident. OIG’s evaluation also found the following: 1. Inconsistent with the Policy, COPA does not always post video, audio, and police documents within 60 days of the incident date;2. CPIC personnel’s lack of understanding of notification guidelines render it uncertain as to whether CPIC has notified COPA of all relevant use-of-force incidents; and3. COPA exercises inadequately guided discretion in releasing materials other than those mandated for release by the Policy.

The Public Safety section of the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducts, on an ongoing basis, reviews of individual closed disciplinary investigations conducted by the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) and the Chicago Police Department’s (CPD) Bureau of Internal Affairs (BIA). In the course of these reviews, OIG identified issues with COPA’s use of “administrative termination” to conclude disciplinary investigations short of an investigative finding. OIG found that administrative termination is ill-defined and frequently misapplied, with inconsistencies and inaccuracies in its use falling into two general categories. OIG recommended that COPA add policies on the use of administrative termination to its Manual; establish clear and specific criteria for its use; ensure that all potentially appropriate dispositions are considered; ensure that, during supervisory review, all required criteria for administrative termination are met; ensure that the chief administrator’s approval is sought when appropriate; and refrain from administratively terminating investigations based solely on the age of the complaint or as a means to increase case closure capacity.