TOOLBOX: Contractor Misconduct Database Offers Gumshoes Leads

Investigative journalists looking to find wrongdoing by beltway bandits have a new tool to snoop with: the Federal Contractor Misconduct Database compiled by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).

POGO recently updated and expanded the database, which is available online here.

A quick exploration of the database reveals that there is plenty of misconduct by contractors involved with agencies covered by environmental reporters: EPA, the Energy Dept., the Interior Dept., the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and OSHA, among others. It isn't just the big defense contractors. Search and sort functions make it easier to use.

• POGO: Marthena Cowart, 202-347-3958 or 202-347-1122.
• POGO: Release of October 15, 2008.
• POGO: "Myths about a Federal Contractor Responsibility Database."