The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is the City of Atlanta’s independent watchdog agency for the advancement of integrity in municipal operations. Comprised of two divisions—Compliance and Independent Procurement Review—OIG conducts investigations and reviews, provides education and advice, and enforces rules and regulations to ensure the lawful, effective, and efficient administration of City of Atlanta government.
OIG investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, of City of Atlanta employees, elected officials, commission and board members, vendors and subcontractors who do business with the City of Atlanta.
OIG endeavors to ensure that the government of the City of Atlanta operates with integrity and efficiency. Through prevention, investigation and review, and enforcement, OIG seeks to eliminate fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, and thereby build community trust and make City government more accountable to its constituents.
The Inspector General is appointed by the Governing Board of the Office of the Inspector General and the Ethics Office (Governing Board), confirmed by Atlanta City Council, and approved by the Mayor.
The Governing Board is comprised of nine citizens residing, employed, or doing business in the City of Atlanta, who are appointed by the following civic, professional, and educational institutions: the Atlanta Bar Association, the Gate City Bar Association, the Atlanta Business League, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Atlanta-Fulton County League of Women Voters, the Atlanta Planning Advisory Board, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Georgia Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the seven major universities/colleges within the city (Clark Atlanta University, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia State University, Morehouse College, Morris Brown College, and Spelman College).
The Office of the Inspector General is an independent body led by the Inspector General. OIG and the Inspector General report to the Governing Board of the Office of the Inspector General
and the Ethics Office.
Complaints can be filed with OIG:
• By email: inspectorgeneral@atlantaga.gov
• By phone: OIG Tip Line: 404.546.2271
• Online: Complaint Form (www.atloig.org)
• By mail: 185 Ted Turner Drive SW, Suite 6200, Atlanta, GA 30303 (or via City Hall: 55 Trinity Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30303)
• In-person: 185 Ted Turner Drive SW, Suite 6200, Atlanta, GA 30303
For issues pertaining to Ethics, please visit www.atlantaethics.org
File a complaint with OIG if you have information pertaining to:
• Suspected fraud, waste, abuse, and/or corruption involving a City of Atlanta:
o Employee or department/office
o Elected official
o Board/commission member
o Vendor
OIG investigations and reviews are most successful when provided as much information as possible about the alleged activity, suspect(s), and/or victim(s) involved. OIG will endeavor to collect as much information as possible to improve our ability to gather relevant facts to assess whether fraud, waste, abuse, and/or corruption has occurred.
As you submit a complaint, please detail the following:
• Names of relevant parties
• Contact information for relevant parties
• Details regarding the alleged fraud, waste, abuse, and/or corruption
o Description of the issue
o Location where the issue occurred
o When the issue occurred
o How the issue was committed
o Who else has knowledge of the potential violation
Yes, you can choose not to provide any identifying information (name, address, etc.) when you submit a complaint. Please note, however, that opting to remain anonymous may hinder OIG from thoroughly reviewing and/or resolving the detailed allegations.
Yes, the Charter of the City of Atlanta grants OIG the power to issue subpoenas, which principally assists the office in obtaining documentation from third parties. With respect to documentation possessed by the City of Atlanta, the Charter requires that City departments and employees provide OIG with immediate access to such records.
If you have questions about the investigative process, you may contact the OIG at: 404-546-2270.
If you contact the OIG Tip Line (404-546-2271) during business hours, you will be able to speak directly with an investigator to report your issue. If you contact the OIG Tip Line after business hours, you will be able to leave a voicemail and will be contacted the following business day. Please make sure to leave your contact information so the investigator can reach you for additional details regarding your tip/complaint.
If you notice issues with the website, please contact OIG at: 404-546-2270.
IPro reviews are designed using criteria from the City of Atlanta Department of Procurement’s (DOP) standard operating procedures and guidance, applicable laws and regulations from Atlanta City Code and the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA), as well as standards and best practices published by various professional organizations such as the Association of Inspectors General (AIG), Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), and the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
While terminology and procedures may shift, IPro reviews follow a framework capturing the core elements of procurement processes. For invitations for bids (IFBs) and requests for proposals (RFPs), reviews follow the below structure:
• Evaluation team (if applicable; requirement for RFPs)
• Solicitation (documents that provide information to potential suppliers)
• Advertisement/Addenda (public request for submittals and documents changing requirements)
• Submittal (vendor submittals)
• Responsive Review (summary of DOP’s review for required documents)
• Evaluation
• Award or Cancellation
• Due diligence (IPro review of resources for violations and/or impropriety)
For alternative procurements—cooperative, special, sole source, and emergency—reviews follow the below structure:
• Award
• Due diligence
While investigations will vary in scope and complexity, all investigations conducted by Compliance will adhere to internal policies and procedures detailing, as applicable, the following elements:
OIG acts as a factfinder, obtaining evidence, identifying elements of alleged offenses, and applying evidence to each element as it determines whether an allegation is substantiated or unsubstantiated.
In addition to internal OIG policies and procedures, Compliance investigations are guided by the Association of Inspector General’s Principles and Standards for Offices of Inspector General, Quality Standards for Investigations (July 2024) (Green Book).
The Atlanta City Charter prohibits City officials and employees from interfering with your reporting of possible violations and from retaliating against you once you have reported possible violations.
If an employee is asked to be interviewed by, submit records to, or otherwise assist OIG in connection with an investigation, OIG requests the employee refrain from disclosing or discussing the investigation with anyone other than his/her private attorney, including but not limited to the employee’s chain of command, colleagues, witnesses, and prospective witnesses.
In partnership with the City, OIG developed the following guidance to City personnel regarding the handling of OIG requests:
DO
• Provide the information and/or resources requested
• Give the investigator your full cooperation
• Keep the inquiry confidential
• Advise the investigator of what it will take to comply with the request
• Respond with and/or return the information as quickly as possible
• Communicate any delays or obstacles in production
• Inform your supervisor of relevant absences arising from participation in an OIG investigation, unless it poses a conflict
DON’T
• Fear the process
• Ignore the request
• Disclose the existence of the request
• Discuss the request with anyone inside or outside of the office
• Copy or distribute the request or any information provided by the investigator
In turn, OIG committed that it:
WILL
• Interact with employees respectfully and professionally
• Make every effort to collaborate with the department and staff to ensure minimal interruption to operations
• Communicate effectively and, when possible, provide additional information
• Provide support to assist with the production of information, when necessary
There may be times where the City and OIG are simultaneously conducting investigations. While investigations may appear to overlap, it is important that City personnel cooperate with each investigation, independent of the other, as each entity has a different jurisdiction and scope.
Do not panic. Interviews are one part of OIG’s effort to gather all relevant facts pertaining to an investigation through a fair and thorough process.
OIG interviews are voluntary—if you do not wish to participate, you will not be subject to discipline for refusing to talk to OIG.
If you do wish to participate, timely respond to the OIG interview request to schedule the interview.
Employees will be informed of the following rights:
1. The interview is voluntary.
2. As the interviewee, you have no duty to answer questions.
3. You may stop the interview and leave the interview at any time.
4. No adverse employment or disciplinary action will be taken against you for refusing to answer questions.
5. Any statement may be used as evidence in any future criminal, civil, administrative, or disciplinary proceeding.
6. You have a right to a private attorney.* Prior to the start of the interview, or at any point during the interview, you can request to have the interview rescheduled in order to arrange for a private attorney to be present.
* OIG does not allow City attorneys from the Law Department to participate in interviews with City employees. (Even in connection with City actions, the City attorney represents the interests of the City. Among other concerns, this presents a conflict with the interests of the individual employee.) While union attorneys may accompany interviewees, to safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of its investigations, OIG does not allow union representatives to
participate in its interviews.
In-Person: Unless impractical or unreasonable, OIG interviews will be conducted in-person.
In-Office: As a default, OIG interviews will take place in OIG offices; as a matter of courtesy to or out of necessity for the interviewee, OIG may make exceptions to hold interviews in other City facilities or locations of convenience.
Pre-Scheduled: As a default, OIG interviews will be scheduled in advance based on the availability of the interviewee; OIG may conduct unscheduled interviews based on the needs of an investigation.
Business Hours: As a default, OIG interviews will take place during business hours; OIG may—as a matter of courtesy/convenience to the interviewee, out of necessity for the interviewee, in instances of urgency/time sensitivity, and/or based on the needs of the investigation—conduct interviews outside of business hours.
Recording: Unless impractical or unreasonable, OIG interviews will be audio recorded; before asking any questions, the investigator will advise all interviewees that the interview will be recorded.
No. Interviews are part of OIG’s fact gathering process and as such, your status—as a subject or witness in the investigation—may not be known at the time of an interview. Under such circumstances, OIG would not inform you of your status. When OIG can share such information without impacting its investigation, it will.
Interviews are one part of OIG’s effort to gather all relevant facts pertaining to an investigation through a fair and thorough process. If you have been contacted for an OIG interview, it means that OIG believes you may have information that may be relevant to its investigation.
While interviewees may be informed about the broad topic of the investigation, to protect the integrity of the investigation, OIG investigators will not typically advise interviewees about the specific details of the investigation until the actual interview.
Yes. Every interviewee is entitled to have a personal attorney participate in an OIG interview. OIG does not allow City attorneys from the Law Department to participate in interviews with City employees. (Even in connection with City actions, the City attorney represents the interests of the City. Among other concerns, this presents a conflict with the interests of the individual employee.) While union attorneys may accompany interviewees, to safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of its investigations, OIG does not allow union representatives to participate in its interviews.
Whenever possible and practicable, in its reports, Compliance will shield the names of witnesses who participated in the OIG investigation. Disclosure of any records pertaining to OIG work will be as required by law and/or at the discretion of the IG.
OIG has never taken or searched an individual’s personal property. If an investigation required the search of anyone’s personal property, OIG would work with a prosecutor to obtain a warrant.
t is impossible to predict how long an OIG investigation will take. As our work progresses, often, we are presented with additional facts that we must investigate and/or delays we must overcome. We follow reasonable leads with due diligence and endeavor to complete fair and thorough investigations as quickly as possible.
When we close an investigation or review, we may publish our findings in various forms:
• Independent Procurement Review Report: Once City Council has publicly considered a solicitation, OIG will post the report detailing the findings of the IPro review. You can search for IPro reports under the Reports tab on our website.
• Final Decision and Report (FDR): Pursuant to Section 8-101(h)(1) of the Charter of the City of Atlanta, OIG issues final decisions and reports, which provide a summary of the investigation, directly to the parties of record after the investigation is complete.
• Referral Letter: Where OIG substantiates allegations—that is, where OIG determines that it is more likely than not that the alleged misconduct occurred—OIG refers the findings of the investigation to the relevant department and/or outside agency with jurisdictional authority, for that entity to take whatever action it deems appropriate. Under some circumstances, for example, if the agency is already aware of the findings or if there is no applicable action to be taken under the circumstances, OIG may close our case without sending a referral letter.
• Policy and Procedure Recommendation (PPR): Where OIG identifies systemic issues or vulnerabilities for fraud, waste, abuse, and/or corruption during an investigation, OIG will issue one or more PPRs within a referral letter to the department outlining our findings and calling for changes to policies and/or procedures to address the identified systemic issues or vulnerabilities. Referral letters containing PPRs request a response from the department to OIG identifying whether the department accepts or rejects the recommendation(s), and offering an explanation if it rejects the recommendation(s). OIG then follows up with the department regarding its progress towards implementing those recommendations it has accepted. You can search PPRs under the Report Recommendations tab on our website.
• Public Report: In some circumstances, OIG will issue a public report that will be posted on our website under the Reports tab. Factors considered in OIG’s decision to issue a public report include, without limitation:
o Position of the individual(s) / office(s) involved
o Scope / severity of the misconduct
o Safety hazard(s) / life safety issues
o Issues of public concern or matters that correct the public record
o Value of financial loss
OIG does not issue fines, mete discipline, and make arrests. Rather than direct enforcement, when Compliance substantiates an allegation—that is, when Compliance finds the alleged conduct more likely than not occurred—it refers its findings to relevant parties. If Compliance finds individual misconduct of a City employee or a City vendor, it will refer the findings of the investigation to the relevant department head or applicable City leader for whatever action that office deems appropriate. If the investigation reveals one or more corruption vulnerabilities or other gaps in controls, Compliance will include in its referral letter policy and procedure recommendations (PPRs) to the relevant department head or City leader to shore up such gaps. If Compliance substantiates acts of criminal misconduct, it will make a criminal referral to the relevant prosecutor; depending on the nature of the criminal activity, the referral would be directed to a district attorney’s office, office of attorney general, or U.S. attorney’s office. Compliance might also recommend to the City and/or work with relevant prosecutors to pursue monetary restitution where investigation findings indicate the City has improperly lost funds.
OIG incorporates responses into its IPro reports and posts online any responses to Compliance public reports and referral letters with PPRs.
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You may also print and mail the completed form to: Office of the Inspector General – City of Atlanta, 185 Ted Turner Dr, S.W., Suite 6200, Atlanta, Ga. 30303.
