Philip V. Fisher

Philip V. Fisher was the Department's first Inspector General. Inspector General Fisher had a law enforcement background, having worked in the Illinois Bureau of Investigation and as a regional director for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.  He was headquartered in Chicago, but the office also had locations in Springfield and Centralia and a staff of ten investigators.  He was Inspector General from March 1, 1988 through December 31, 1991.

Accomplishments

The mission of the Office was to investigate reports of suspected abuse or neglect of recipients in any facility operated by the DMHDD; to bring to the criminal and/or administrative justice systems of the State those employees responsible for the abuse and neglect of these recipients; and to recommend sanctions to be imposed against DMHDD-operated facilities.

To carry out its mission, OIG developed procedures for reporting and investigating abuse and neglect. It also monitored the facilities' performance in accordance with those procedures and identified the need for corrective action. OIG's responsibilities included:

  • Investigating employees responsible for abuse or neglect of DMHDD recipients of services;
  • Coordination and cooperation with the Illinois State Police, Department of Public Health, other entities within the DMHDD and other agencies pertaining to reporting, investigating and prosecutions related to abuse and neglect; and
  • Development of an incident tracking system and production of annual reports.

Some of Inspector General Fisher's accomplishments were:

  • Establishment of the OIG and its operations:
  • A centralized case numbering system;
  • A case tracking database;
  • Updated Department policy on reporting and investigating abuse and neglect;
  • Inter agency agreement with Illinois State Police;
  • Unannounced walk-through of facilities for visibility;
  • Use of the Medical Review Board to review death investigations and provide an annual report of findings; and
  • Increased professionalization of the Office:
    • Established a training expectation, created opportunities including local law enforcement training;
    • Held Statewide meetings to encourage consistent practices;
    • Established a sixty-day expectation for case completion;
    • Promulgated an Investigator's Manual with procedures and forms; and
    • Created lead investigator positions.