Trust in Atlanta’s city government was at an all-time low in 2019.

Corruption investigations led to the arrest and eventual conviction of numerous senior staff who served under Atlanta’s previous mayor, including the chief procurement officer, director of human services, and chief financial officer. Their actions wasted millions of dollars and weakened the effectiveness of critical programs.

After studying effective practices in other cities, local leaders unanimously approved legislation to fund a new department to prevent future corruption: the Inspector General’s office. The Inspector General is an independent watchdog agency inside city government. It receives tips and complaints from residents and city employees, conducts investigations and audits, and publishes findings for local citizens. 

Atlanta’s office was designed to follow the model created in Chicago during the 1980s, when that city needed a long-term solution to public corruption and bribery. Like Atlanta, the Office of Inspector General in Chicago is established by law as an independent department, funded to support professional staff, and given the authority to investigate, audit, and report on city operations. 

Other cities that faced corruption incidents in recent years have followed the same approach. 

• Houston. Procurement-related corruption during the early 2010s led the city to create an Inspector General in 2017.
• San Francisco. A public works bribery scandal came to light in the early 2020s and spurred leaders to form an Inspector General in 2024.
• Miami. High-profile corruption incidents among elected officials during the 2010s and early 2020s led to the establishment of an Inspector General two years ago.

More than a dozen U.S. cities have created independent inspector generals during the past two decades. They include those listed above as well as Columbus, Louisville, Oakland, Richmond, and Seattle. Offices of the Inspector General are particularly common in cities with a “strong-mayor” system of government like Baton Rouge, where the mayor controls administration, procurement, and budgeting.  

How Many Large, Strong-Mayor Cities Have an Inspector General?

Most large, strong-mayor cities now have an independent Inspector General’s office. And several more are actively considering legislation to create them.

However, not all Inspector General offices are well designed. Research shows they need five things in order to be effective. 

1. Legal independence. They should be established by law with independent appointment processes and allow removal only for cause. 

2. Budget and operational autonomy. Strong offices have protected funding, often set based on the overall city budget size, and control over their own staffing.

3. Access to information. Successful offices have the authority to access city records, initiate investigations, and refer cases for prosecution.

4. Integrated audit and investigative capacity. Effective offices combine audits and investigations to identify individual misconduct and the underlying systems that allow it to occur.

5. Public reporting. Offices should publish their findings, require agency responses, and track whether recommended changes are implemented.

Cities with Inspector General offices that include these five elements are more likely to detect problems early, correct them quickly, and maintain residents’ trust over time.