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Inspector General

Welcome from the Office of the Inspector General.  

Many of you may not know what the Inspector General does, or what purpose the office serves.  In a nutshell, the IG is responsible for compliance with all directives that apply to members of the Civil Air Patrol in Colorado.  Acting as the eyes and ears of the Commander, the IG is an important part of ensuring that Civil Air Patrol is prepared to carry out missions for America.  The Air Force is responsible for seeing that the the funds allocated to us by Congress are used wisely and properly.  Our ability to demonstrate this is an important part of maintaining a vibrant relationship between CAP and the USAF.

The most visible application of this will be when the IG visits your unit for a Subordinate Unit Inspection (SUI).  The SUI is not designed to "catch" anyone.  These well-publicized inspections are an opportunity for units to sell the program that members put so much time and effort into.  When the SUI Team arrives, let them know what you are doing and don't be afraid to share those extras.  We are looking to see whether you are following CAP directives and carrying out your assigned missions properly.  However, we are also looking for good examples to share with other units, both in Colorado and nationwide.  In addition, if your unit needs additional resources or support, this information goes back to the Group and Wing through the inspection report. 

The other side of the Inspector's job to investigate complaints, when tasked by the Wing Commander.  If this happens, please understand that it is the IG's job to gather facts and present them to the Commander.  The outcome of an investigation is the Commander's responsibility.

If you have any questions about the office of the IG or have interest in serving as a member of the IG Team for SUI's, please send an email.  Your inquiries should be directed to the IG via e-mail .

Office of the Colorado Wing Inspector General  

Subordinate Unit Inspection Program

Subordinate Unit Inspections or SUIs  are management tools for the unit commander.  They are a snapshot in time of how his or her unit is doing in regard to mission and policy implementation.  The Squadron Staff and Squadron Commander are inspected using a checklist that has been approved by CAP and CAP-USAF.  The items on the checklist are taken from regulations and specifically relate to trends or parts of the regulations that higher headquarters is tracking or wants to see implemented properly.  For instance, if Intro to Safety training is not being done consistently throughout CAP, then CAP and CAP-USAF may add a question regarding Intro to Safety and how that training is being handled at unit level.  So squadron members contribute greatly to the outcome of these inspections by their cooperation with training requirements.

These inspections are scheduled on a 24-month cycle.  The Wing develops a schedule, performs the SUI inspection, obtains a written report of the SUI, and follows up on any discrepancies until they are closed.  Once that is done, the unit goes 24 months until the next inspection.  The feedback from these inspections helps the Wing Commander learn of problem areas that need attention.  This information is shared with other units in the Wing so that they can make improvements for their own inspections. 

The Complaint Process

Complaints are inevitable wherever people come together to accomplish a goal or mission.  People view things differently or have differing views about how things should be done.  CAP has regulations to help us navigate through our participation in CAP.  It is no different with the process we use to handle complaints.

The most important thing is to respect eachother and act professionally should a conflict come up.  Most issues should be problems that can be resolved with communication and understanding.  That is why CAP recommends complaints be handled at the lowest levels possible using the chain of command.  If there is a problem at unit level, sitting down with the affected members and discussing things can often times resolve the issue.  If not, the Unit Commander and then the Group Commander may be able to help. 

Issues that reach the Wing level can be handled through the same process of communication. However, sometimes things don't work out so easily or members are not satisfied with how the problem has been handled.  That is partly why the Inspector General position in CAP exists.  This is the person the Wing Commander turns to to review complaints.  Once the complaint is turned over to the IG, there is a process that is followed according to regulation.

Fraud, Waste and Abuse

Fraud, Waste and Abuse complaints are specific kinds of complaints.  Because they may involve serious acts that may also border on criminal activity, they are taken very seriously.

No one should be discouraged from revealing or reporting situations that meet the definitions of fraud, waste or abuse.  There is a direct hotline to CAP headquarters regarding these kinds of complaints.

Also, those who report fraud, waste and abuse activities are protected from reprisal under the Whisteblower Program.

 

 

 

 

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