When you think of checks and balances in the government, you might think about the courts, the president's veto power or the legislature's power to override that veto.
But there's another big check on government here in Massachusetts, and that's the Office of the Inspector General.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke to Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro recently to learn more about how his office helps prevent wasteful and fraudulent use of funds in state and municipal government.
GG What does the inspector general do?
JS Our office is charged with looking for fraud, waste and abuse across state and municipal government. We're able to follow the money, so we can look at suppliers, vendors, contractors and nonprofits that might be beneficiaries of those funds. Unlike the auditor that looks at a particular issue and does a formal audit, we can do an actual investigation. Not all of our cases warrant a criminal referral to either the United States attorney or to the state attorney general or to the various DAs [district attorneys], as many of our cases can be handled either in a civil manner or in corrective action.
GG How did you get into this work?
JS I have a generic Brandeis politics degree and I have a law degree from Suffolk University. I came to this job with 32 years of government experience as a government lawyer. When the position was posted, it felt like it was a dream job. Since my appointment, over the last two-and-a-quarter years, it truly is a dream job, and it's — in my opinion — the best job in government.
GG I see that the Office of the Inspector General has a hotline where people can call in and anonymously report suspected misuse of public funds. Can you talk about that hotline and maybe give some examples of what would warrant a call to that hotline?
JS So first and foremost, if you see something and you're troubled by it, I would encourage you to contact us. It's for us to then triage it. I think you should consider us, in some ways, like an emergency room. We'll figure out by digging into it if it's something that we might be able to pursue. Sometimes people give us an anonymous tip, and it's so broad and vague that there's not much we can do with it. Other times, the tip that we get is unbelievably helpful.
This was prior to my tenure, but it certainly was a hotline tip: some of the initial investigative work that we did with regard to the former Fall River Mayor, Correia, when he was federally charged—some of that initial work came from our office and from a tip that we got.
GG I think a lot of people are learning for the first time about inspectors general because of the news. President Donald Trump fired over a dozen inspectors general who work at the federal level. I did see that you put out a statement about that. What was your reaction when you saw that news?
JS My view on that is that the president and whomever serves in that office has the prerogative to make the decisions that he or she or they want to make, and the personnel decisions that they want to do. Nonetheless, there is a process that should be followed. It's a statutory process that lays out how a federal inspector general may be removed from office. And my view, which I put out in the statement, was that the process should be followed, the rules matter, and I do believe that an action that happens at one level of government to an inspector general impacts all of us. And inspectors general, to be effective, need to be able to have their independence. They need to be nonpartisan and they need to be able to do their work without fear or favor. And I felt that this action was contrary to that.
GG What else do you want people to know about your work or your office?
JS I want people in the Commonwealth to know that we have such an office. I think that oftentimes faith in government is low, and sometimes saying that faith in government is low isn't even a strong enough depiction of how people feel. And so I want them to know that there is such an office that is fully staffed and fully functioning all the time, looking at how federal municipal dollars are spent. We're looking out on their behalf.
There are those who have faith in government, and I like to think that we are an office that helps keep that faith. And for those that are losing faith or never had faith in government, I like to think that we're an office that can start to build that type of faith.
And I think the other part of it that is important to know is that their voice matters. There's a way that they can help direct our work and that we do want to hear from them.
To report waste, fraud or abuse of government funds, call the Office of the Inspector General’s 24-hour confidential hotline: (800) 322-1323. To see a complete list of all the ways to get in touch with the Office of the Inspector General, click here.
