April 18--Another group of Chicago Fire Department personnel has been suspended for falsifying thousands of dollars worth of mileage reimbursement claims, according to a report released Thursday by the city's top internal watchdog.
In all, 17 firefighters and paramedics in the Fire Prevention Bureau and Public Education Unit were paid more than $35,000 in 2009 for mileage they never traveled on the job, Inspector General Joseph Ferguson's latest quarterly report states. Many allegedly falsified records to claim the maximum allowed $350 in monthly payments.
All but one, who retired, were suspended without pay for 30 to 45 days. Ferguson had recommended that all be fired, but the city noted a prior failure to make that punishment stick in a related case.
In 2011, Ferguson recommended firing all but one of 54 firefighters assigned to the Fire Prevention Bureau who falsely claimed a total of $100,000 in mileage claims during 2009. Fire Department officials moved to fire four of those firefighters and suspend the rest, but an arbitrator reversed the firings.
Ferguson's latest report also noted a series of alleged infractions in the city Department of Water Management:
--A former hoisting engineer with the department used a city backhoe to help metal scrappers, who were later convicted of misdemeanor theft, load city scrap onto trucks. The former engineer was placed on the city's do-not-hire list.
--Ferguson found that a certified minority business did nothing but broker deals between Water Management and manufacturers under its $20 million contract, but that work doesn't qualify as a certified city minority business activity. The city denied an application to recertify the company and awaits a reply from the company before deciding whether to pursue sanctions.
--Three Water Management workers kept more than $6,000 they received by selling city scrap metal. The three workers were suspended for 29 days.
All three "had been hawking city property to multiple scrap yards for three or four years," Ferguson wrote. "Thus, $6,000 understates the true scope and monetary value of their scheme."
In his report, Ferguson also recommended that city code be altered to designate his office as "a law enforcement organization." Such a designation would allow the city to share in money collected through court forfeiture judgments in cases involving his office.
Ferguson cited the example of a recent $2.2 million judgment against four men convicted for their roles in a sham minority-owned cable company -- the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Cook County state's attorney, the U.S. attorney and the inspector general. The other three agencies will share that judgment, but not the inspector general.
If Ferguson's office were to be designated a law enforcement organization, its investigators would be allowed certain police powers, including the right to carry a gun, given the proper training. But Rachel Leven, Ferguson's spokesman, said her boss would be amenable to specifically barring inspector general investigators from carrying weapons on the job.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel said the administration would look into the issue before commenting.
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