INTEGRITY HOTLINE AVAILABLE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES

City and County of Honolulu employees now have a new means of reporting allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and ethics violations.

It’s called the Integrity Hotline, and lets employees report concerns to a live call center outside City government every day of the week, around the clock.  Up until now, employees have voiced concerns by communicating with management, contacting the Honolulu Ethics Commission, or calling the City complaint line.

The Integrity Hotline service provider interviews the employee and sends a report to the City.  In many cases, the report identifies issues that require further investigation or action. Callers may choose to remain anonymous.

The Integrity Hotline was introduced to City employees earlier this year.  Since the rollout, the hotline has provided 30 reports on a variety of issues.  A few of the reports have resulted in the development of new procedures to protect City assets from loss due to employee or vendor manipulation. 

Cost of the pilot phase of this service is $12,000, which pays for a third-party service provider and case management system.

            Mayor Mufi Hannemann said, “The Integrity Hotline increases awareness of potential ethical misconduct, fraud, waste, and abuse.  This awareness deters misconduct and improves government efficiency.  The pilot program is scheduled to operate for another year and will be evaluated to determine if the results and benefits support the costs.”

These hotlines are becoming a standard best practice for local governments and are a recommended practice of the Government Finance Officers Association.

The Integrity Hotline does not change the public’s ability to report any government-related concern through the complaint line at 768-4381.  Members of the public and City workers may also report ethics concerns or complaints directly to the Honolulu Ethics Commission at 786-7786 or ethics@honolulu.gov.

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Contact:

Cyndy Aylett, 523-4512