The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigates allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct by Department of Justice employees, contractors, and grantees. The OIG is an independent entity within the Department of Justice that reports to both the Attorney General and Congress on issues that affect the Department's personnel or operations.

The OIG has jurisdiction over all complaints of misconduct against Department of Justice employees, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Prisons; U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; United States Attorneys Offices; and employees who work in other Divisions or Offices in the Department of Justice. (The one exception is that allegations of misconduct involving Department attorneys that arise from their authority to investigate, litigate, or provide legal advice are the responsibility of the Department's Office of Professional Responsibility.)

To report alleged misconduct on employees or contractors of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service: www.usdoj.gov/oig/FOIA/hotline3.htm.

Section 1001 of the USA Patriot Act, signed into law by the President on October 26, 2001, directs the Inspector General to review information and receive complaints alleging abuses of civil rights and civil liberties by Department of Justice employees. The OIG has created a special section in its Investigations Division to process these complaints. This section will identify the more serious civil rights and civil liberties allegations and assign them to OIG employees for investigation. The OIG will refer other complaints to Department components for their review and handling.

Individuals who believe that a Department of Justice employee has violated their civil rights or civil liberties may contact the OIG by mail:

Civil Rights & Civil Liberties Complaints
Office of the Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Room 4706
Washington, D.C. 20530

e-mail: inspector.general@usdoj.gov

hotline: (contact information in English and Spanish): (800) 869-4499

or hotline fax: (202) 616-9898.

OIG Civil Rights Poster (JPG)