QUALITY STANDARDS FOR INVESTIGATIONS

Guidelines applicable to the investigative efforts of criminal investigators working for the United States Offices of Inspector General (OIGs) affiliated with the President's Council on Integrity and Efficiency and the Executive Council on Integrity and Efficiency. 

• Individuals assigned to conduct the investigative activities must collectively possess professional proficiency for the tasks required.
• In all matters relating to investigative work, the investigative organization must be free, both in fact and appearance, from impairments to independence; must be organizationally independent; and must maintain an independent attitude.
•  Use due professional care in conducting investigations and in preparing related reports.
• Establish organizational and case specific priorities and develop objectives to ensure that individual case tasks are performed efficiently and effectively. 
•  Conduct investigations in a timely, efficient, thorough, and legal manner.
•  Reports (oral and written) must thoroughly address all relevant aspects of the investigation and be accurate, clear, complete, concise, logically organized, timely and objective.
• Store investigative data in a manner allowing effective retrieval, referencing, and analysis