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Fraud hotline complaints fall in 2024; abuse and employee-conduct reports remain most common actionable items
Summary
The city’s fraud, waste and abuse hotline received 79 complaints in 2024, a drop driven largely by fewer non‑city and service‑request submissions, auditors told the Finance and Personnel Committee.
The office that runs Milwaukee’s fraud, waste and abuse hotline reported to the Finance and Personnel Committee that the number of complaints fell to 79 in 2024, a year‑over‑year decline largely driven by fewer non‑city and service‑request submissions.
Adriana Molina, audit manager who runs the hotline, said the 70% decrease from 2023 to 2024 was mostly explained by fewer non‑city complaints (for example, private marketplace disputes or state‑level benefits issues) that had previously been routed to the hotline. “That number seems very alarming off the jump, but later in the presentation you’ll see that most of that jump is actually non city, so like, service requests,” Molina said.
Molina and Senior Auditor Becca Bain told the committee that actionable complaints — those within the hotline’s city scope — continue to be dominated by allegations of abuse, typically employee conduct or personal use of property. Of the cases the office handled in 2024, two departments had substantiated findings: the Department of Neighborhood Services and the Police Department each had one substantiated case. There were no substantiated cases of fraud or waste in 2024.
Accessibility and process: Molina emphasized that the hotline remains accessible and that anonymous reports are permitted. “If you just Google City of Milwaukee fraud hotline, we come right up,” she said, summarizing where the public can find the reporting form, phone numbers and resources. The hotline refers many complaints to departments for investigation and follows up to verify departmental responses.
Ending: The committee placed the hotline annual report on file; members praised the hotline as an internal control and noted the value of anonymous reporting for whistleblowers.
Quotes in context: The key figures and process description were presented by audit staff at the hearing; departments receive referrals and record investigative follow-up that the audit office tracks and verifies.
