Independent institutions that check this jurisdiction's own power — audit, ombudsman, inspector general, civilian review, ethics, and grand-jury bodies established by statute.
The New York State Comptroller is independently elected statewide to a four-year term and serves as the state's chief fiscal officer and auditor. The Comptroller has constitutional authority to...
Read scorecard → 02 AuditThe New York State Commission of Correction, established by Correction Law Article 3 and constitutionally authorized, oversees all state prisons, county jails, police lockups, and OCFS secure...
Read scorecard → 03 Inspector GeneralThe Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (LEMIO), created June 2020 within the Attorney General's office under Executive Law §75, receives and investigates complaints of corruption,...
Read scorecard → 04 Inspector GeneralThe Office of Special Investigation (OSI), established April 2021 within the New York Attorney General's office under Executive Law §70-b, investigates and prosecutes all incidents in which a...
Read scorecard → 05 Inspector GeneralThe New York State Inspector General is appointed by the Governor and investigates fraud, abuse, and corruption in all executive branch agencies and public authorities. The IG has subpoena power...
Read scorecard → 06 Ethics CommissionThe New York Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government (COELIG), established in 2022 replacing JCOPE, has jurisdiction over all statewide elected officials, state employees, legislators, and...
Read scorecard →New York has layered statewide LE and corrections oversight. The AG's Office of Special Investigation (Exec Law §70-b, 2021) independently investigates and prosecutes all police-caused deaths, displacing local DAs. The AG's Law Enforcement Misconduct Investigative Office (Exec Law §75, 2020) reviews misconduct patterns across 500+ local agencies with advisory recommendations. The State Commission of Correction (Correction Law Art. 3) holds binding closure and compliance authority over all jails, prisons, and lockups. The State Inspector General (Exec Law Art. 4-A) covers executive-branch LE agencies (SUNY Police, Park Police, State Police) excluded from LEMIO's scope. Gaps: no binding civilian discipline authority for local police misconduct short of criminal prosecution.