Nontraditional Public Police - A Working Model (From Criminal and Civil Investigation Handbook, P 1-49 to 1-62, 1981, Joseph J. Grau and Ben Jacobson, ed. - See NCJ-84274)

• NCJ Number: 84278
• Author(s): V P Hakim; S L Ross
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

The expansion of crime into areas requiring sophisticated and specialized investigation has prompted the development of investigative units that focus on certain types of offenses; the Bureau of Fraud Investigation (BFI) of New York City's Human Resources Administration is a working model of such a unit.

Abstract

The Human Resources Administration is responsible for administering billions of dollars annually through social service welfare programs. The BFI, created in 1978, has citywide jurisdiction and a staff of over 200 responsible for the investigation of fraud investigations involving social service welfare monies. Most of the cases pursued are rooted in the complexities and inherent weaknesses of social welfare programs, such that it would be impossible and inefficient for a traditional police force to detect and investigate offenses. The BFI is comprised of seven divisions: Eligibility Investigation, Concealed Assets, Fraud Control, Welfare Inspector General Liaison, Special Projects, Court Referral, and Management Control. BFI uses advanced investigative techniques and maintains its own sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment, including recording devices, transmitters, cameras, and paging devices. Because of the limited scope of BFI's power, all arrests must be made by the municipal police or by a district attorney's office. BFI also cooperates with traditional law enforcement agencies, within legally permissible limits, through the exchange of information. Organizational charts of BFI are provided.