An inspector general (IG) is an internal compliance officer appointed by the director of a government agency to prevent waste and abuse. IG inspectors conduct audits and inspections, while special agents have law enforcement powers to investigate criminal activity. Each agency has its own IG to ensure compliance and efficiency.
An inspector general (IG) is the internal compliance officer for most government agencies, and the phrase usually refers to a title, not a rating. Each inspector general is usually appointed by the director of the agency he will serve. In most cases, the IG will be authorized to have a staff of inspectors and special agents to fulfill the office’s mission.
IG inspectors are non-police agents; primarily, they are tasked with conducting audits and inspections of agency policies and procedures to prevent agency waste and abuse. Special agents of an Inspector General are individuals with full law enforcement powers and have the authority to conduct criminal investigations, bear arms, make arrests and execute warrants. While the mission of most inspectors general is to act as an internal watchdog, many IG offices have duties that carry them into everyday society. For example, Special Agents of the Inspector General of the United States (US) Department of Education are responsible for investigating allegations of federal student aid fraud.
The IG’s duties and responsibilities to regulate and ensure compliance of US federal workers and programs were outlined in the Inspector General Act of 1978. Since then, different inspectors general have saved US taxpayers millions of dollars in fines and recovered revenue. . US agencies and departments that employ an IG office include the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the US Postal Service (USPS). Quasi-governmental agencies that employ an IG office include Amtrak, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Peace Corps.
Since each government agency has different policies and guidelines, having an inspector general who understands each agency’s needs is more beneficial than requiring one team to regulate the entire federal government at once. The division of the internal regulatory task between each agency allows greater efficiency for each IG to perform its functions with respect to the corresponding agency of responsibility. For example, as the CIA has different needs and responsibilities than the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the IG of one could be at a disadvantage if asked to investigate matters related to the other.
Any agency’s IG ensures that your agency acts with the highest degree of professionalism and integrity possible. It serves taxpayers by ensuring that public funds are not wasted or stolen. The IG also ensures that government officials under its responsibility remain honest and efficient on behalf of the taxpayers he or she serves.
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