OFFICE of the INSPECTOR GENERAL City of Chicago

OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL City of Chicago

180 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 2000 Chicago, Illinois 60601 Joseph M. Ferguson Telephone: (773) 478-7799 Inspector General Fax: (773) 478-3949

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December 1,2011

Robert S. Hoff Fire Commissioner Chicago Fire Department 3510 S. Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor Chicago, Illinois 60653

Dear Commissioner Hoff:

This letter serves as an official request that you retract your recently emailed directive (attached) to CFD personnel stating "no correspondence, documents, interviews, or any other requests from the Inspector General shall be honored unless approved by the Fire Commissioner."

This directive is a prior restraint and condition upon the statutory duty of each employee of the City of Chicago individually to cooperate with the IGO. Specifically, your directive is a violation of both the letter and the spirit of Mayoral Executive Order 2011-05 and § 2-56-140 of the Chicago Municipal Code.

In a press conference on November 22, 2011, you were quoted as publicly stating, in the presence of the Mayor, that the email was misinterpreted, and all you "asked was they inform me before summoning Fire Department personnel for interviews."

This characterization was categorically untrue given a plain text reading of the email rejects any notion this is solely a notification procedure to inform your office's awareness of CFD personnel activities. To the contrary, it clearly states that no CFD personnel shall cooperate with the IG unless your office has approved such activity.

As phrased, the directive constitutes a clear overreach on your part and I request you immediately retract it. I believe that left unremedied, your directive will have a chilling effect on both existing and future IG investigations into misconduct, waste, fraud, and abuse in the CFD. Recent IGO inquiries and investigations into CFD have demonstrated these to be significant, even without including any of the non-public findings of your Department's own Internal Affairs Division in the recent past.

Website: www.chicagoinspectorgeneral.org Hotline: 866-IG-TIPLINE (866-448-4754) The IGO's Director of Investigations David Grossman has previously offered his assistance to you in better crafting language to assure your office's awareness of CFD personnel activities while on duty. To this point, you have rejected any such assistance. Nevertheless, he or I stand by to assist your office in rectifying the unlawful import of your directive as issued.

Respectfully, cjL-

Joseph M. Ferguson Inspector General City of Chicago

CC: Stephen Patton, Corporation Counsel Theresa Mintle, Chief of Staff

2 , .... ~" .. _ .... ~""., ""I" ...... • ...... w .... ,._.. ''''",...... ' ...'g ...... ",.W"... ~· ...... g ...~,.~g .. ,,_ ", ...... , ...... _,~, ... "'... " ...... _ ... _ ...... , ..... ~" .. " ...... ,,_.... _, •• 1.1, ... " ...... , • From: Dennis, Joshua Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 201112:47 PM To: Anthony Van Buskirk; Brim, Frank; Delaney, Robert; Donnelly, Patrick; Grassmuck, Sharisse; Hernandez, Juan; Hogan, Janice; Hooper, Lee;' Howard, Larry; Hudson, Curtis; Ignacio, Edgar; John Shehan; Jones, Dwayne; Keating, Mary Anne; Kennedy, Thomas; Killman, Charles; King, Anthony; Knapp, Jerry; Knight, Willie; Langford, Lawrence; Larsen, Jeffrey; Linzy, CynthIa; Macgregor, Kevin; McKinnis, Greadi Mckoy, David; McManus, Helene; McNic;holas, John; Meeker, RlchcJr(j; Monroe, William; Mungovan, James; Muse, Barbara; Newton, Jonathan; Nichols, Loyal; O'connell, Daniel; O'connell, James; Odonnell, Daniel; Peters, Charles; Poweil, Curtis; Roccasalva, Joseph; Roche, K~vini Ross,Bobbye; Rottman, Doreen; Ryan, Eugenej Shelton, Jerome; Sheridan, Mary; Springer, Jeffrey; Stewart, Charles; Tho'mpson, James; Tienda, Sylvia; Van Darpe, Peter; Vasquez, Anthony; Velez, Francisco~ Walsh, Timothy; Warrick, Jodi; Watson, Darlene; Wiley-Earls, Carmelita; Williams, Dwaln; Wilson, Keith; WOjtecki, Kenneth; Young, SarahiBarabas, AnthonYi Shakir, Tasneem; McCauley, Lorraine; Clarke, John; Hreezany, Mark; Monroe, William; Bryant, Adriannej Edlngburg, Mark; Dunleavy, Jenny; Murphy, Donna; Halac,Yilmaz; santiago, Jose; PORTER, MOReNI~_E; Callahan" Michael; Beals, Vickie; Knight~'W!\Iiei Bates, Steven~ Anthony Van BU5kirki Donnelly, Patrick; sampeY, Timothy; Rosado, Richard; Oennls, Joshuai Lucas, Henry; Hoff, Robert; Boyce, Clifford; Ambos, Robert; Fox, Michaeli Cooper, James; Hong, Mark; Chlkerotis, Steve; Dorgan, James; Anthony, Roberti Nielsen, Mark; Edgeworth, Richard; Carine, Nicholas; Malec, Steven; Boyle, William; Brennan, Patrick; Baker, Valerie; Crowe, Elizabeth; Chattin, JodYi Levison, Marc; Evans, Shirley; Sampey, Timothy; NIChols, Loyal; Clark, samuel; Flynn, sean Cc: Hoff, Robert Subject: Inspector General

All,

Per the Fire Commissioner, no correspondence, documents, interviews, 01' any other requests from the Inspector General shall be honored unless approved by the fire Commissioner. Any contact initiated by 'the Office of the Inspector General should be directed to the Office of The Fire Commissioner.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Commissioner's Office, through the chain of command, for clarification.

Thank you.

-Josh

Joshua M. Dennis District Chief· Executive Assistant to the Commissioner Chicago Fire Oepartment .

312-745-4200

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