Philadelphia enlists new integrity officers

The city of Philadelphia has sworn in a small army of integrity officers to oversee each department on an individual basis.  

The city now has three dozen integrity officers; all are committed to reporting fraud and misconduct by city employees as well as assisting the city’s inspector general with investigations.

The officers are constantly on the watch for issues with city workers, said Inspector General Amy Kurland.

“Our belief is that we need to head off any fraud before it occurs instead of trying to investigate it later,” she said.

And a new agreement with the school district will have Kurland’s office overseeing any issues there for the first time.

The newly designated integrity officers are existing city workers who are taking on extra responsibilities.