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"Prosecution alone is not going to deter corruption," U.S. Attorney for Maryland Rod Rosenstein said Monday during a press conference announcing the indictment of former Prince George's County Executive Jack Johnson. Rosenstein said preventative measures were needed to stop wrongdoing before it reaches the criminal level. In Prince George's, this responsibility falls at least in part on its Ethics Board. Yet it became quickly clear at a Tuesday meeting of a task force appointed by Johnson to improve the integrity of county government why this board wasn't up to the task.

1. It can't act on its own.

   It has to wait for a complaint to be filed. "If they hear something fishy, they really can't do anything," Assistant County Attorney Anne Magner said. No formal complaints were filed last year. Only one was filed in 2009.

2. It didn't meet at all last year.

   It had no reason to, Magner said. After all, no complaints were filed.

3. It has no full-time employees.

   Magner balances this work with her other responsibilities as an assistant county employee. Its four board members work part-time.

4. Only four of its five positions are filled.

   The fifth spot has been vacant for several years, Magner said.

5. It lacks subpoena power.

   So if people don't want to testify, the board can't force them to. The board asked for subpoena power in 2005, but the council never acted on the legislation. The county Office of Audits and Investigations does have subpoena power, however.

6. The county ethics code isn't exactly comprehensive.

   "Obviously everybody knows you're not supposed to use the county car to take your family on vacation, but it's not in the code," Magner said. For example, this is all the ethics code has to say about the misuse of county resources, according to Magner: "An employee may not use employees on county time or other resources of the county for writing books, articles and speeches which could result in personal gain or compensation." Want to use county resources to have employees pick up your laundry? Go right ahead. You're not breaking the ethics code.

7. It has no budget.

   Which kinda makes sense, considering how little it does.