Many of you reading this are government employees yourselves. Are you aware of wrongdoing within your agency or department? Have you tried to report it through established channels such as an inspector general and gotten absolutely nowhere — or gotten fired, or worse? Now a new option is open to you.
The Raleigh, N.C.-based Foundation for Ethics in Public Service, which officially opened in May, says it will investigate tips sent to it, anonymously or not, and provide reports of government corruption at federal, state and local levels, to appropriate investigative journalists.
According to its executive director, former North Carolina state auditor Les Merritt, the foundation will also provide training and other education programs to government and the general public.
The foundation’s top investigator is Frank Perry, a 22-year FBI veteran who has worked on some of the agency’s most high level and sensitive public corruption, internal affairs and national security cases.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the Report Public Corruption web site has received over 20 tips since it launched June 13. Since that report, tips have begun coming in from across the country, according to a blog posting at the Project on Government Oversight, which focuses on the federal government.
“We’re going to be heavier on the investigative side and less on the reporting side,” Merritt said in an interview. “We don’t want to be a think tank. We want to be a ‘to-do’ tank.”
Merritt, who served one four-year term as auditor before losing to Democrat Beth Wood last November, said the foundation boards include Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters. Perry used to be the agent in charge of the FBI’s Raleigh office before working for the State Ethics Commission and later as Merritt’s top investigator at the auditor’s office.
While the group has received donations from the conservative-leaning John William Pope Foundation in Raleigh among others, Merritt said it’s looking actively for donations from both sides of the political spectrum.
“We’re going to be nonpartisan and nonbiased,” said Merritt. “We hope to be balanced with our fundraising.” — Associated Press
Indeed. Putting a stop to government corruption is something we should all be able to agree on, regardless of our political leanings.
I for one welcome Report Public Corruption. This is an idea that was suggested to me by a Free State Project participant here in New Hampshire well over a year ago but has been on the back burner ever since.
Looking through the roster of people behind the organization, I can see that it’s put together much better than I would have been able to do. They’ve also paid attention to the little details, such as not using an 800 number for their tip line, showing me that they’re serious about making this work. (You cannot block the phone number you are calling from when you dial a toll-free number.)
I’m also happy whenever I get the chance to report good news, and having more people working at keeping the government honest is always good news.
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works license.
Video published by this site is licensed under a Creative Commons Sampling+ license.
Bad Behavior has blocked 3015 access attempts in the last 7 days.
Facebook
Digg
del.icio.us
reddit.com
Newsvine
joebanana
Jul 01, 2009
Excellent, a good place to start would be Los Angeles, then the Ca. legislature, then the governor, since they all collaborated on SBX211, which gives judges immunity to taking these illegal payments, retro-active 20 years, and this immunity covers everyone involved in this scam. California is broke, yet they still give these judges $47,000/yr. extra, illegal pay, multiply that by 400 judges. Also, Richard Fine is still in jail, on a no bail, contempt charge, for trying to fight these judges into at least disclosing these payments, and reclusing themselves from LA county cases, which they didn’t do. Go to the AHRC website for more, or disclosure watch, or full disclosure.org, or
judicial watch, r blogtalkradio, and put “justice4us” in the search box.
Jeff Hoyt
Jul 02, 2009
Good informstion from one whom it is good to hear from.
Hope all is well, Michael.
100% kick ass
Jul 03, 2009
Report them for sure. They are part of the organized crime that includes prostitution, drugs and the Maffia plus more. Especially in Orange county. Kick ass America!!!
Ray
Jul 04, 2009
The last time I was a government contractor for the Federal Government I could have probably filed a story every work day. Any that was as basically an outsider with close to inside access.
Snowwhite
May 03, 2010
YOU NEED TO LOOK AT MO. IT IS FAST BECOMING CORRUPT BECAUSE THE OFFICIALS ARE GETTING A FREE PASS ON CORRUPTION. IT IS A GOOD OLD BY SYSTEM. WE NEED SOME HELP FROM THE FBI WHERE ARE THEY
Snowwhite
May 03, 2010
YOU NEED TO LOOK AT MO. IT IS FAST BECOMING CORRUPT BECAUSE THE OFFICIALS ARE GETTING A FREE PASS ON CORRUPTION. IT IS A GOOD OLD BOY SYSTEM. WE NEED SOME HELP FROM THE FBI WHERE ARE THEY. IT APPEARS SOME HERE ARE ABOVE THE LAW AND CITIZENS ARE GETTING HURT SERIOUSLY IF YOU SPEAK OUT THEY WILL GO AFTER YOU!
john
Jul 23, 2011
CIA oversees its employee in UK conducting: Illicit use radioactive materials for domestic Surveillance US public/ Espionage/ Terrorism/ Cyber sex by Wireless and other Civil/ Constitutional/ Human rights viol.
Employee {Identified} in UK conducts Business/ Internet/ Telecommunications Fraud of which an afilliate of the FBI in Va US.
Same identified employee of CIA withholding Evidence of police in Orange County, New York, a former “NYS Attorney”, having defrauded the FBI, the Dept of Defense {Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States}; Facilitate Acts espionage/ Acts terrorism from the UK, Civil conspiracy; Civil/ Constitutional Human rights violations.
of Fraud/ Negligence.
Expense in Personal/ Public/ Busienss/ E Commerce/ Cyber/ Network/ Homeland security; Information assurance, the US war on terrorism, the DOD.
Documents.
FBI failing to investigate US National security matters resulting in acts by those in Orange county NY at Personal expense. Civil/ Punitive redress, Civil remedies Acts terrorism transcending national boundaries; Damages by CIA, employee of CIA and former NY State Attorney.
Full information available.