IG the avenue to resolving your issues Published June 21, 2013 By Lt. Col. Eileen LaBrecque 6th Air Mobility Wing inspector general MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- "I don't know if I'm in the right place" or "my friend told me to come here" are the most common phrases I hear when someone walks into my office with a complaint. In most cases, they have exhausted their chain of command and feel they have nowhere else to turn for help. At other times, they are in desperate need of help because the issue involves their own chain of command. As the Wing inspector general, I am here to provide an avenue to assist in resolving your issues and preventing further ones. I exist as a staff function and report directly to the Wing commander to remove any perceived conflict of interest. The Air Force IG Complaints Program The IG Complaints Program is a leadership tool that indicates where command involvement is needed to correct systematic, programmatic or procedural weaknesses and to ensure resources are used effectively and efficiently. My mission is to resolve problems affecting you and the Air Force mission promptly and objectively; to create an atmosphere of trust in which issues can be objectively and fully resolved without retaliation or fear of reprisal; and assist commanders in instilling confidence in Air Force leadership. The primary charge of the IG is to sustain a credible Air Force IG system by ensuring the existence of responsive complaint investigations, and Fraud, Waste and Abuse programs characterized by objectivity, integrity, and impartiality. How do I help the commander? IGs are the "eyes and ears" of the commander. I keep the commander informed of potential areas of concern as reflected by trends, function as the fact finder and honest broker in the resolution of complaints, educate and train commanders and members of the base population on their rights and responsibilities in regard to the Air Force IG system, and help commanders prevent, detect, and correct fraud, waste and abuse and mismanagement. Personal complaints and FWA disclosures help commanders discover and correct problems that affect the productivity and morale of assigned personnel. Resolving the underlying cause of a complaint may prevent more severe symptoms or costly consequences, such as reduced performance, accidents, poor quality work, poor morale or loss of resources. IG areas not covered Some complaints are not really appropriate for the IG. But that does not mean I won't help you find the right agencies or person to submit your complaint. Some complaints are "referred" or "transferred" to another agency for better processing. Some things the IG will not handle: commander-directed inquires and investigations, Air Force Office of Special Investigations or security forces investigations, and investigations of civilian employees who have specific appeal rights under law or labor union agreements. Investigations under the authority of the Uniformed Code of Military Justice or the Manual for Courts- Martial, line of duty or report of survey investigations, quality assurance in the Air Force Medical Service Boards, Air Force mishap or safety investigations, and medical incident investigations are also not covered under the IG complaint program. Additionally, the IG complaint program may not be used for matters normally addressed through other established grievance or appeal channels unless there is evidence that these channels mishandled the matter or process. How you can help the IG? When bringing a complaint to the IG, you must provide some relevant evidence that the process was mishandled or handled prejudicially before IG channels will process a complaint of mishandling. This means bring your documentation to back up your complaint; this will only strengthen your case and make it easier to sort out the facts. Please remember that when talking with any IG, you are making a protected communication, which means you are protected from any reprisal actions that may come from your complaint submission. If you need assistance or would like to discuss a possible complaint, please stop by our office, call or e-mail us and we'll be glad to assist you. Our office is in building 173, 7718 Hangar Loop Drive. The office can be reached at eileen.labrecque@us.af.mil or 828-4961.