Cook County Employees Tattling On Each Other More

It looks like more people are tattle-telling on Cook County employees. The Sun-Times reports that investigations into misconduct by county employees have spiked this year, with 44 new investigations between July and September. There were only eight new investigations during that same time last year. Joseph Price, the county's former inspector general who was replaced this month, began a total of 91 new investigations so far this year.

The Sun-Times goes on to suggest that the number of new investigations will continue to climb under the new inspector general, Pat Blanchard. But that remains to be seen. Blanchard's appointment to office came under fierce criticism by the attorney made famous for tackling Chicago's rigged political system, Michael Shakman. Shakman wasn't ecstatic about Blanchard because Blanchard was formerly the assistant states attorney who defended Cook County against allegations of illegal political hiring. To Shakman, picking Blanchard to be the watchdog over county hiring was a "joke."

Whether the new inspector general continues to aggressively investigate employee misconduct or not, it's interesting that the office is getting so much information. Maybe county employees are noticing what's going on in city hall and are wising up to the possibility that layoffs might be on the table when county President Todd Stroger reveals his budget.