The Illinois State Police, in collaboration with the Special Investigations Unit, has opened an online public form for citizens to anonymously report public corruption directly to ISP SIU, according to a press release.
Public corruption includes crimes such as wire fraud and money laundering. It may also involve an elected official overbilling contractors in order to embezzle the money, contracting friends for a monetary kickback or gaining a personal, monetary benefit from government-funded programs.
“The Illinois State Police Special Investigations Unit is dedicated to seeking out those who abuse their position and power to take advantage of others, betraying the public’s trust,” wrote ISP Director Brendan Kelly in the press release.
The public form will feed public corruption allegations from all across the state into one channel, which will streamline ISP’s response process and assuage citizens from the confusion of contacting the right officials or departments, the press release stated.
“By making it easier for the public to confidentially report suspected corruption, we can begin restoring the public’s trust in government,” Kelly said. “ISP will continue to work with its partners in law enforcement to investigate misconduct and corruption.”
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The SIU, part of the Division of Criminal Investigation, was founded by Kelly in March of 2020, and since then has opened 82 cases. Notable past cases include a former township road commissioner and a former coroner who were both found guilty of using government funds on personal purchases.
