Broward Sheriff's Office Policy Manual

Office of Inspector General (OIG) Policy

• The purpose of the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of Broward Sheriff's Office (BSO) operations.
• The OIG provides timely and professional auditing, investigative, review, and technical services to promote integrity, economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of BSO's activities.

Definitions

• An auditor is an employee assigned to the OIG, responsible for conducting audits, inspections, studies, or inventory reconciliation.
• Audits are systematic examinations of data, operations, performance, records, and statements, and can be categorized into financial, attestation, and performance/compliance.
• All audits must contain essential elements, including an audit agenda, plan, program, report, work papers, and recommendations.

Major/Inspector General's Responsibilities

• The Major/Inspector General reports directly to the Sheriff for all matters involving internal audit and financial matters related to the OIG.
• The Major/Inspector General reports to the Executive Director, Department of Professional Standards on matters involving non-audit services and staff inspections.

Access to Information

• All inspectors/auditors of the OIG have unrestricted, timely, full, and direct access to all relevant department employees, facilities, documents, files, records, and data necessary to perform their duties.

Authority

• The Inspector General has the authority to review Internal Affairs handling of allegations of misconduct, direct audits and reviews, and handle misconduct complaints.
• The Inspector General assesses the thoroughness, fairness, consistency, and timeliness of Internal Affairs complaint-handling.
• The Inspector General reviews and comments on policy/procedure revisions prior to final adoption.

Inspector General Investigations

• All Inspector General Investigations must be authorized by the Inspector General or designee.
• Investigations indicating policy violations are reviewed with the Inspector General or designee and referred to Internal Affairs for further investigation.
• A preliminary report outlining findings and recommendations is drafted, reviewed, and provided to the undersheriff and applicable executive director(s).

Division of Internal Investigations and Compliance

• The Division is responsible for Internal Affairs, Public Corruption, and Staff Inspections.
• The Division investigates complaints and allegations of policy violations and criminal wrongdoing involving employees.

Division of Policy and Accountability

• The Division is responsible for accreditation, CJIS compliance, preparing and coordinating policies and procedures, BSO-wide forms, and research projects.
• The Division serves in an advisory capacity to the sheriff and specific boards of inquiry to assess operations or employee performance.

Division of Internal Audit

• The Division is responsible for monitoring the financial and operational activities of BSO through an independent audit of BSO's fiscal activities.
• The Division submits reports and recommendations concerning identified deficiencies noted during audits.

This policy outlines the procedures for the Office of Inspector General and the Bureau of Compliance and Accountability in the Broward Sheriff's Office.