Office of Municipal Investigations

Mission

The Office of Municipal Investigations (OMI) is responsible for conducting investigations of citizen and departmental referred complaints of alleged misconduct by employees of the City of Pittsburgh.

Departmental/Bureau Overview

OMI investigates complaints against City employees to determine whether or not policies have been violated. OMI also conducts pre-employment background investigations on candidates for police and fire recruit jobs. The office is staffed by a civilian manager, civilian intake and operations supervisor, police sergeant, civilian investigators, sworn police detectives, and a civilian fiscal coordinator. OMI acts solely as a fact-finder and does not make disciplinary decisions. OMI relies on City work rules, union contracts, civil service regulations, City code, and state laws to conduct analysis as to whether misconduct has occurred. It is OMI’s responsibility to ensure that all complaints receive fair, accurate, and timely investigations. By applying consistent and impartial evidentiary standards, as well as reliable and consistent case management controls, the process promotes public confidence in City government while respecting the due process rights of employees. Written policies and procedures have been developed that ensure uniform and consistent investigations. OMI provides the following core services: Allegations of Misconduct - OMI conducts investigations when there are allegations of misconduct on the part of City of Pittsburgh employees Pre-Employment Investigation - OMI conducts pre-employment background investigations for police and fire recruit jobs and when otherwise requested Residency Compliance - OMI conducts investigations when questions arise concerning City employee residency compliance 2025 Accomplishments

• Participated in several community events, including City in the Streets, the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police's Civilian Police Academy, and various other community meetings.
• While conducting administrative investigation, OMI identified gaps in policy where updates could be made.
• Conducted over 200 investigations into employee misconduct and 106 public safety pre-employment background checks. Collaborated with several Zone detectives to complete these background investigations to minimize disruption in OMI investigators caseloads, helping to complete complaint investigations in a timely manner.
• Collaborated with the Department of Human Resources and Department of Innovation & Performance on process improvements as it relates to hiring police recruits, in the attempt to cut down on the time needed to process applicants and reduce unnecessary waste in workforce effort and internally implemented new timelines as to the work flow of background investigations.