Placer County’s whistleblower hotline goes public

Published on July 8, 2021

Placer County’s whistleblower hotline is now available to the community, empowering residents to help ensure the county continues to uphold the highest level of public service accountability. 

Until recently, the hotline had only been available to county employees but now the public can go online or call the Placer: Inform Us! hotline to anonymously report fraud, waste and abuse, 24/7.

The hotline accepts reports of allegations of fraud, waste or abuse committed against the county government by county employees and elected officials as well as volunteers, committee members, consultants, vendors, contractors, outside agencies or any other parties with a business relationship with Placer County. 

“A whistleblower hotline is the most common detection method for fraud, waste and abuse as it encourages and facilitates anonymous reporting,” said Placer County Auditor-Controller Andy Sisk. “We’re pleased to be opening up our whistleblower hotline to the public, giving them the opportunity to report fraud, waste and abuse in Placer County.”

Placer County has long had a fraud policy to assist employees with reporting suspected fraud, waste and abuse. The Placer: Inform Us! hotline, launched for employees in 2017, provides full confidentiality and round-the-clock accessibility. Placer County contracts with Convercent, a compliance services provider, to operate the hotline.

The county’s whistleblower program is managed by the Auditor-Controller’s Office. Each case is investigated by the Internal Audit Division of the Auditor-Controller’s Office or referred to the appropriate investigating body if determined not to be fraud, waste, or abuse against the county.  Cases are reported semi-annually to the county’s Audit Committee.

Placer: Inform Us! may be reached by phone at 800-461-9330 or online. More information on Placer: Inform Us! is available on the county’s website.