Document Type

Paper

Category

Community Contributions

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

Prosecutors and investigators pursuing corruption cases need all the help they can get. Detecting and proving public integrity violations can require hours of work, specialized expertise, and sometimes expensive software or surveillance equipment. Collaboration across agency lines can be a force multiplier, bringing additional resources, expertise, and legal tools. Strong partnerships can also provide critical cover in politically sensitive cases, helping investigative agencies weather the storm and diffuse political risks.

This paper is intended to provide practical insights about the benefits and nuances of inter-agency cooperation on public integrity cases, as well as anticipated challenges. The paper ends with two recent case studies of successful inter-agency partnerships in New York State: the Rockland County Public Corruption Task Force and a multi-agency collaboration to break up a conspiracy to facilitate cheating in commercial driver’s license examinations in Manhattan.

The paper is based on the lessons, experiences, and concerns shared at an event that CAPI hosted at Columbia Law School on July 20, 2016, Fighting Corruption in New York State. In particular, the paper draws from a presentation by three experts: Thomas Zugibe, the District Attorney of Rockland County; Philip Foglia, Special Deputy Inspector General of the Office of the New York State Inspector General; and Nelson Sheingold, Deputy Comptroller and Counsel for Investigations of the Office of the New York State Comptroller.

Disciplines

Law

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Included in

Law Commons

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