1950 Confidentiality of Investigative Information | IIU

The policy of the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) Internal Investigations Unit (IIU) is that all information gathered during the course of an internal investigation will be maintained in a strict and confidential manner.

No one within the Office of Inspector General (OIG) will divulge any information obtained during an investigation to anyone who is not authorized to have that information, without prior approval from the Inspector General or his/her designee.

The following security measures will be taken with regard to internal investigation documents:

The Inspector General or his/her designee is the custodian of the internal investigation case files, which are to be maintained in locked cabinets at the State Office, or electronically stored in a secured access, controlled environment.

Reports, case files, and other relevant documents will be maintained in a secured environment while the investigation is active.

All exhibits will be properly marked / labeled with an exhibit number that corresponds to exhibit information listed in the final report.

Any physical evidence obtained by IIU staff will be logged onto a Property / Evidence Control Record and stored in a secured area within OIG. When no longer needed, the physical evidence will be returned to its owner or disposed of, whichever is applicable. This will be documented on the Property / Evidence Control Record, which will then be placed in the associated case file.

Any criminal history information obtained during an investigation must be destroyed upon completion of the investigation. At no time is criminal history information to be stored within a completed case file.

O.C.G.A. § 49-2-1 et seq.
O.C.G.A. § 49-2-4 et seq.

None

This policy is applicable to all divisions and offices of DHS.

None

Replaces POL 1950, last reviewed on 7/11/2024.

The OIG Chief Investigator evaluates this policy by: