Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz announced today the release of the DOJ Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) annual report identifying the top management and performance challenges facing the DOJ. This year’s report identifies nine areas that the OIG believes represent the most pressing concerns for the DOJ:
- Strengthening Public Confidence in Law Enforcement and Protecting Civil Liberties;
- Use of Sensitive Investigative Authorities by Department Law Enforcement;
- The Department’s Contingency Planning and Response to a Global Pandemic;
- Maintaining a Safe, Secure, and Humane Prison System;
- Safeguarding National Security and Countering Domestic and International Terrorism;
- Protecting the Nation and Department against Cyber-Related Threats and Emerging Technologies;
- The Opioid Crisis, Violent Crime, and the Need for Strong Law Enforcement Coordination;
- Ensuring Financial Accountability of Department Contracts and Grants; and
- Strategic Planning: The Department’s Challenges to Achieve Performance-Based Management and to Enhance Human Capital.
“We believe that strengthening public confidence in law enforcement, protecting civil liberties, and ensuring the proper use of sensitive investigative authorities are urgent challenges that will continue to garner significant attention, and which require appropriate and swift action from the Department. These are not new challenges, and recent events make the Department’s attention to them all the more critical,” stated Inspector General Horowitz in the report’s introductory memorandum.
The report, which was transmitted to the DOJ last month, is required by statute to be prepared by the OIG and included in the DOJ’s Agency Financial Report. It is intended to help the Department in its efforts to improve program performance and exercise careful oversight to ensure the effectiveness of its operations. The challenges are identified based on the OIG’s oversight work, research, and judgment. The OIG has prepared similar reports since 1998.
Related reports: Top Challenges reports from previous years can be found here.
###