USPS Office of Inspector General

This fiscal year (FY) appears to be unlike any other. In December, just two months into FY 2016, the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors lost its last remaining presidentially appointed governor when his holdover term expired. The Board, which operates much like a corporate board of directors, is now without any presidentially appointed governors for the first time since the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 created the governing body.

By law, our Office of Inspector General reports to the Governors and to Congress.

The image of the auditor sitting in front of a stack of spreadsheets, with a trusty calculator at the ready, is right out of central casting. So is the investigator on round-the-clock surveillance to uncover fraud or misuse of government funds.

Those techniques have their place, of course, but today’s audits and investigations rely heavily on data analytics and risk models. At the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (OIG), we have invested in building an analytical, evidence-based culture that depends on data to promote efficiency and effectiveness in government.

King Louis XIV of France did more than usher in a golden age of art and literature and preside over a dazzling royal court at Versailles in the 17^th century. He also introduced the world to the inspector general concept, appointing agents to review his military and report back what they found.