Inspector General

Cuyahoga County Agency of Inspector General

Cuyahoga County AIG

59/100

Summary

The Cuyahoga County Agency of Inspector General was established in 2011 under Charter Article XV, enacted by voters, to investigate fraud, waste, corruption, and ethics violations across all county government operations. The IG is nominated by the County Executive and confirmed by County Council for a four-year term. Notably, Cuyahoga County is one of the rare Ohio counties where the Sheriff is appointed (not elected), meaning the Sheriff's Office falls squarely within the IG's executive-branch jurisdiction; the IG has conducted documented investigations of the sheriff's credit-card program, commissary operations, and overtime expenditures. The IG holds charter-granted subpoena power and broad records access; it is an ethics/integrity watchdog rather than a civilian review board for individual misconduct or use-of-force complaints.

Independence Scorecard

Independence Score: 59/100 (moderate)
59/100
Limited
Methodology v0.1
AppointmentExecutive appointment
Term length4 years
Removal standardFor cause only
Budget independenceLegislative line item
Subpoena powerYes
Compel testimonyYes
Records accessFull access
Public reports requiredYes
Pre-publication reviewNone — reports published directly

Statute

Name
Cuyahoga County Charter Article XV; County Code Title 2, Chapter 204; Title 4, Chapter 403
Citation
Cuyahoga County Charter Art. XV (enacted 2011, amended 2018)
Full text
Full text of law →

Jurisdiction scope

All Cuyahoga County government operations including the appointed Sheriff's Office