West Central Reporter

Southern Illinois citizens are being encouraged to make use of a new tip line to report suspicions of "public corruption."

The tip line was announced recently by Donald Boyce, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, and St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly. The Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force Tip Line can be reached at 618-589-7373.

“Concerned citizens are the government’s biggest asset when it comes to exposing people who are abusing the public’s trust and misusing taxpayer money to line their own pockets,” Boyce said. “This initiative is designed to solicit the public’s help in identifying and targeting public corruption.”

Boyce said he encourages anyone with information on public corruption to call, which will trigger an investigation by agents from the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigations and the Illinois State Police. Boyce said residents play a big role in identifying cases that allow law enforcement to prosecute officials who have broken their oaths to serve the public.

“Over the past five years, we have greatly increased prosecution of public corruption,” Kelly said. “With trust in our public institutions at an all-time low, we must do everything we can to protect it from those who would violate it.”

The U.S. attorney’s office is also planning a billboard campaign to publicize the hotline.