12: The Importance of Independence: Observations From a Veteran Inspector General Available to Purchase

In this chapter, the Louisiana State Inspector General recounts the history of the State Office of Inspector General (OIG) and his tenure there. Louisiana is well known for the corruption embedded in its state government. Yet, the widespread fraud made obvious in the response to Hurricane Katrina finally spurred the creation of a strong OIG with a mission to pursue criminal investigations into fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. Despite a clear legislative mandate, the OIG soon became a target of corrupt forces that refused to acknowledge the success the OIG was having in terms of completing investigations that led to successful convictions of bad actors. The chapter describes two efforts of the Louisiana House of Representatives to completely defund the OIG in retaliation for investigations that some legislators didn’t like. Through a grassroots campaign, the OIG ultimately was able to secure funding in both cases. The author ends the chapter with some hard-fought lessons learned about OIG independence, effectiveness, and funding.