Ohio Code 121.42 – Inspector general – powers and duties
The inspector general shall do all of the following:
Terms Used In Ohio Code 121.42
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(A) Investigate the management and operation of state agencies on his own initiative in order to determine whether wrongful acts and omissions have been committed or are being committed by state officers or state employees;
(B) Receive complaints under section 121.46 of the Revised Code alleging wrongful acts and omissions, determine whether the information contained in those complaints allege facts that give reasonable cause to investigate, and, if so, investigate to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe that the alleged wrongful act or omission has been committed or is being committed by a state officer or state employee;
(C) Except as otherwise provided in this division, contemporaneously report suspected crimes and wrongful acts or omissions that were or are being committed by state officers or state employees to the governor and to the appropriate state or federal prosecuting authority with jurisdiction over the matter if there is reasonable cause to believe that a crime has occurred or is occurring. In addition, the inspector general shall report the wrongful acts or omissions, as appropriate under the circumstances, to the appropriate ethics commission in accordance with section 102.06 of the Revised Code, the appropriate licensing agency for possible disciplinary action, or the state officer’s or state employee’s appointing authority for possible disciplinary action. The inspector general shall not report a wrongful act or omission to a person as required by this division if that person allegedly committed or is committing the wrongful act or omission.
(D) Except as otherwise provided in this division, contemporaneously report suspected crimes and wrongful acts or omissions that the inspector general becomes aware of in connection with an investigation of a state agency, state officer, or state employee, and that were or are being committed by persons who are not state officers or state employees to the governor and to the appropriate state or federal prosecuting authority with jurisdiction over the matter if there is reasonable cause to believe that a crime has occurred or is occurring. In addition, the inspector general shall report the wrongful acts or omissions, as appropriate under the circumstances, to the appropriate ethics commission in accordance with section 102.06 of the Revised Code, the appropriate licensing agency for possible disciplinary action, or the person’s public or private employer for possible disciplinary action. The inspector general shall not report a wrongful act or omission to a person as required by this division if that person allegedly committed or is committing the wrongful act or omission.
(E) Prepare a detailed report of each investigation that states the basis for the investigation, the action taken in furtherance of the investigation, and whether the investigation revealed that there was reasonable cause to believe that a wrongful act or omission had occurred. If a wrongful act or omission was identified during the investigation, the report shall identify the person who committed the wrongful act or omission, describe the wrongful act or omission, explain how it was detected, indicate to whom it was reported, and describe what the state agency in which the wrongful act or omission was being committed is doing to change its policies or procedures to prevent recurrences of similar wrongful acts or omissions.
(F) Identify other state agencies that also are responsible for investigating, auditing, reviewing, or evaluating the management and operation of state agencies, and negotiate and enter into agreements with these agencies to share information and avoid duplication of effort;
(G) For his own guidance and the guidance of deputy inspectors general, develop and update in the light of experience, both of the following:
(1) Within the scope of the definition in division (G) of section 121.41 of the Revised Code, a working definition of “wrongful act or omission”;
(2) A manual of investigative techniques.
(H) Conduct studies of techniques of investigating and detecting, and of preventing or reducing the risk of, wrongful acts and omissions by state officers and state employees;
(I) Consult with state agencies and advise them in developing, implementing, and enforcing policies and procedures that will prevent or reduce the risk of wrongful acts and omissions by their state officers or state employees;
(J) After detecting a wrongful act or omission, review and evaluate the relevant policies and procedures of the state agency in which the wrongful act or omission occurred, and advise the state agency as to any changes that should be made in its policies and procedures so as to prevent recurrences of similar wrongful acts or omissions.