See Fraud, Waste In RivCo? Report It Over New Number, Web Portal

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Riverside County government employees, as well as those who contract with the county for any type of business, with knowledge of "fraud, waste and abuse" occurring in any agency now have new resources available to anonymously report violations online or via telephone.

In a 4-0 vote without comment Tuesday, the county Board of Supervisors formally approved the Executive Office's revised "anonymous incident reporting system."

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Anyone associated with county government who has witnessed or become aware of alleged acts that conflict with the county's Code of Ethics can file reports via or 833-590-0004.

The phone number features prompts, while the website directs visitors to a site listed at the top of the home page designated "Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse 24/7."

Previously, other online and telephonic reporting methods were available, but they've since been deactivated.

"It is the duty of every employee to report any known violation of this (ethical conduct) policy, or what would appear to a reasonable person to be a violation of this policy," according to board Policy C-35. "Examples of reportable offenses include theft, conflicts of interest, misuse of county equipment or vehicles, embezzlement, bribes and kickbacks, abuse of work hours (and) inappropriate use of county credit cards."

Policy C-35 was first implemented in January 1991 and later underwent revisions based on the California Citizen Complaint Act of 1997 and related legislation.

The county's auditor-controller, currently Ben Benoit, is recognized as the initial processor of fraud, waste and abuse complaints, which are then assigned to the appropriate investigating agency, inside or outside the county.

"County employees shall adhere to and uphold the county's Code of Ethics both in practice and in spirit," according to the policy. "It is expected that employees act in the public's interest first and not their own. It is further expected that their behavior, both on the job and off, reflects positively on the county, its reputation and its employees."