THE EARLY YEARS

1873
After New York City’s coffers were robbed of hundreds of millions of dollars during the Tammany Hall years, the New York State Legislature creates on July 18, 1873 the Office of the Commissioners of Accounts, which is now known as DOI.

1884
DOI is granted the power to issue subpoenas and administer oaths. These actions give the agency more clout and investigative capabilities.

1898
The "Greater New York Charter" extends the power of DOI to all the newly incorporated boroughs.

1907
John P. Mitchel appointed as DOI commissioner. He is credited with developing the investigative powers of the Office.

1910
Raymond B. ("Fearless") Fosdick appointed as DOI Commissioner - first to describe Office as "the Mayor's eye."

1914
Former DOI Commissioner John Mitchel, 35, elected Mayor. Nicknamed the "Boy Mayor," Mitchel delegates more responsibilities to DOI and appoints Leonard Wallstein as DOI Commissioner.

1917
Commissioner Leonard Wallstein, who grows impatient with the slow pace of the District Attorney in prosecuting DOI cases, attempts to direct prosecution of corrupt officials. Wallstein arranges for warrants to be issued against a clerk and three inspectors who tried to have a professional pickpocket operate among the long lines of applicants waiting for licenses. The Chief magistrate and a representative from DOI present the case to a Grand Jury, who indict the three inspectors. The clerk flees the state.

1920
For the first time, DOI encourages complaints from private citizens against public employees and officials, and begins to hold hearings based on complaints by employees of unfair treatment or dismissal.

1924
A City Charter amendment designates the Office of the Commissioner of Accounts to be the Department of Investigation and Accounts.

1926
DOI Commissioner Joseph Warren delivers 281 financial reports or audits to Mayor Jim Walker and criticizes the previous mayor for failing to audit the City’s finances.


DOI AS WATCHDOG

1934
Paul Blanshard is appointed DOI Commissioner by Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. DOI Complaint Bureau established. Approximately 6,000 complaints received during the first year. DOI becomes known as the City's "Watch Dog.” During the first three years of LaGuardia’s administration, some 94 officials are ousted or resign because of investigations.

1938
DOI assigned formal responsibility for supervising and regulating the City Marshals.

DOI's agency name formally changed to the Department of Investigation.

1946
John Murtagh appointed DOI Commissioner. He considers job at DOI to act "as the bromo-seltzer for the Mayor."

1954
The City Bureau of Marshals established in DOI.

1961
The City establishes the Post Office "Box 100" anti-corruption program, which enables citizens to write directly to the post office box to report "graft or unethical practices.

1970
Establishment of Executive Order No. 21, which, in part, requires applicants for all management positions and persons appointed to a position of a sensitive nature, "to complete a DOI personal history questionnaire and related investigation, prior to beginning employment."

1977
Section 807 of the 1975 revised City Charter takes effect, requiring that the Commissioner of DOI approve the appointment of each Inspector General by the agency head and "promulgate standards of conduct and . . . monitor and evaluate the activity of Inspectors general in the agencies to assure uniformity of activity by them."

After a two-year demonstration period, the Corruption Prevention and Management Review Bureau is established within DOI. The objective of the Bureau is to identify systemic and management failures and correcting these, concentrating on corruption prevention.


REORGANIZATION AND WHISTLEBLOWERS

1978
Mayor Edward I. Koch issues Executive Order No. 16, which formally establishes Inspectors General to monitor agencies throughout the City. The Order gives the DOI Commissioner responsibility to direct certain crucial activities of the Inspectors General, who were required to report on criminal and other significant matters to the DOI Commissioner.

1983
At Mayor Koch’s request, DOI submits “Whistleblower” legislation to the City Council, who, by passing it, afford specific protection to those who report wrongdoing, corruption or criminal activity.

1984
DOI begins to review routinely some 7,000 financial disclosure reports filed each year with the City Clerk.

1986
Mayor Koch issues Executive Order No. 105, which places the Inspectors General Offices fully under the direction and control of the DOI Commissioner by integrating their personnel and resources into the structure of DOI.

1990
Section 31 of the revised 1989 City Charter takes effect, requiring that the appointment of the DOI Commissioner be made with the advice and consent of the City Council. A provision was also added to Section 801, which stated that to remove a [DOI] Commissioner, the Mayor had to file the reasons for the removal with the city Personnel Director, provide a copy of this rationale to the Commissioner and allow the Commissioner the opportunity to present a public explanation.

Susan Shepard is appointed first woman DOI Commissioner by Mayor David Dinkins and becomes first commissioner subject to the City Council's "advice and consent" requirement. Commissioner Shepard is former a U.S. attorney and Counsel to the New York State Investigation Commission.

Commissioner Shepard restructures the Department and merges 25 Inspectors General into 13 offices.
The Office of the Special Commissioner of Investigation is created in response to growing public concern about corruption and misconduct in the New York City School District and was given a mandate to investigate criminal activity, unethical conduct, conflicts of interest, and other wrongdoing occurring within the school system. Edward F. Stancik is appointed to head the office.

1991
First comprehensive Investigative Policies and Procedures Manual is issued. Investigative Training Committee is established to promote the continuing education of the investigative staff.

1993
Howard Wilson, a former US attorney, is appointed DOI Commissioner by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
Rogues, Rascals, and Heroes, a history of the first 120 years of DOI is published.

New York City Housing Authority Inspector General staff is brought under the supervision of the DOI Commissioner.

1995
As a result of the Mollen Commission hearings on police corruption, the Commission to Combat Police Corruption (CCPC) is created by Executive Order 95-18. The order directs the CCPC to work in tandem with the Department of Investigation.

Mayor Giuliani signs Local Law 50 to regulate the Fulton Fish Market, long acknowledged to be under the influence of organized crime. Subsequently, the Public Markets Unit is created within DOI to monitor activities at the fish market and at the City's other public markets.

1996
After a DOI investigation exposes abuses at the Central Punitive Segregation Unit on Rikers Island, 11 Correction officers are indicted by the Bronx District Attorney and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for use of excessive force. This investigation led to the settlement of a civil suit against the City of New York for $1.6 million. In 1998, the City entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Legal Aid Society that guaranteed DOI would monitor CPSU for wrongdoing, review penalties assessed to staff members for violating regulations, as well as perform background checks for all employees.

Edward J. Kuriansky, former New York State Deputy Attorney General for Medicaid Fraud, is appointed Commissioner by Mayor Giuliani.

1998
The Independent Private Sector Inspectors General (IPSIG) unit is added to DOI to insure contractor responsibility, especially in the construction industry.

Citywide Information Security Architecture, Formulation and Enforcement (CISAFE) unit is created to oversee computer security.

1999
As DEP's responsibilities increase substantially following the 1997 Watershed agreement to protect the City's water supply, DOI opens an office of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Inspector General in Valhalla New York.


GETTING THE WORMS OUT OF THE BIG APPLE

2000
DOI issues report: A Limited Investigative Review of CCRB Case Processing Procedures: Missing and Mishandled Cases. The report details how "lost" or "improperly closed" cases of police misconduct were mismanaged by the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Mayor Giuliani asks Commissioner Kuriansky to sit on a newly created task force to review the management of the Department of Buildings. The task force will hold a public hearing and make recommendations to revamp the corruption-plagued Buildings agency.

2001
The City sets up the Integrity Hot Line and establishes the Construction Compliance Monitor initiative. DOI appoints four monitors to oversee recovery and clean up at the World Trade Center site. The monitors are responsible for preventing and detecting fraudulent, wasteful or abusive practices at Ground Zero by any of the contractors working there.

2002
Mayor Michael Bloomberg appoints Rose Gill Hearn, former U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the Southern District of New York, as DOI Commissioner.

Mayor Bloomberg and Commissioner Gill Hearn announce the appointment of Richard J. Condon as Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District. The Special Commissioner's office is part of the Department of Investigation and is independent of the Board of Education and the Schools Chancellor.

DOI and Department of Finance create a joint anti-corruption task force charged with examining the property assessment function at DOF and developing recommendations to reduce the potential for future corruption. The task force is created after DOI arrested 18 current and former tax assessors on federal bribery charges.

DOI launches comprehensive “Corruption/Prevention/Whistleblower Protection” campaign for City employees. The campaign includes lectures and the distribution of printed materials to all City employees so they can learn how to recognize and report corruption. The agency also endorsed a recent revision to the City’s Whisteblower law that broadened both the category of the employees protected by the law and the nature of they type of report that would be protected.

A Federal Judge ruled in favor of closing the 1998 Memorandum of Understanding between the City and the Legal Aid Society as long as DOI continued to oversee the CPSU.

2003
DOI continues to spearhead a tort fraud task force that includes the Law Department and the City Comptroller’s Office. The task force’s goal is to identify fraudulent claims against the City, prevent them through a combination of criminal prosecutions, affirmative litigation and changes in procedures and reduce the opportunity for fraud. In 2002, the task force’s work included the criminal prosecution of a taxi driver who filed a $50 million lawsuit against the City erroneously claiming he was beaten by Taxi and Limousine Commissioner inspectors.

DOI works diligently to restore tens of millions dollars to City coffers for restitution and loss prevention from all of its cases. In 2002, more than $44 million is levied or recovered, either through court-ordered restitutions and forfeitures, administrative fines, asset recoveries or the reinstatement of summonses or reassessments. In FY 2003, DOI has identified more than $17 million to be realized in total restitution, fines, loss prevention, forfeitures and recoveries to all City agencies and other victims.