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cjustice
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Posted: Thu Feb 11th, 2010 02:32 am | 1st Post |
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Click Reply, not new post
All Union Institute and University Winter 2010
(Includes Session I, Session II and Semester Learners)
You must make two posts to receive full credit. One original post and one response to a classmate.
For this discussion you will need to look at two webpages:
The Six Pillars of Character
http://josephsoninstitute.org/MED/MED-2sixpillars.html
Naval Inspector General on Conflict of Interest
http://www.ig.navy.mil/Complaints/Complaints%20%20(Conflicts%20of%20Interests).htm
Question: Conflicts of interest are common in human interaction. For the first part of the question, why are conflicts of interest particularly troublesome in government service? Second, of the two (a general overview of ethical character traits and a specific statement about conflicts of interest) which is the most useful to a leader in government service? And, why?
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Chris(Union)410
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Posted: Sun Mar 7th, 2010 05:55 pm | 2nd Post |
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Conflict of interest - In our profession we have chosen the general law abiding public expects us to be unbiased and reliable as well as providing fair service. You cannot be fair and provide a sense of transparency if you have two (or more) sets of rules for different groups of people. Conflicts of interest create animosity and a sense of wrongdoing, especially in the police field. At times we all need to step back and take a look at a situation from the viewpoint of the public to get a better perception and a different view. If it appears to be wrong or looks like it could raise some eyebrows then we should re-evaluate.
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mporrasdavis410
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Posted: Thu Mar 11th, 2010 02:30 am | 3rd Post |
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Public trust is what makes or breaks a successful government agency. Although the individual person may agree or disagree with certain policies or procedures used by government agencies, the relationship between government and the people must be one of trust. A trust in those who govern us and care for our well being is what each of us really wants. The idea that those in government, who have the power to make decisions that affect many people, would make important decisions solely on the basis of their own opportunity for personal gain is a breach of that trust. Government officials who appear to, or actually engage in behavior related to conflicts of interest, have an obligation to recues themselves from such situations for the good of the public trust.
Of the six ethical character traits identified by Josephson Institute, I feel the most useful one for a leader in government service would be TRUSTWORTHINESS. To be a trustworthy leader, is to be one who can be counted on to do the right thing for his agency and his subordinates. Trustworthiness encompasses so many exceptional characteristics that to be so will lead you to live a life in a way that the other five traits, respect. responsibility. fairness. caring. citizenship will become part of your character on their own.
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GHarrisondavis410
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Posted: Fri Mar 12th, 2010 05:10 am | 4th Post |
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I agree wholeheartedly with your post. Without Trustworthiness, it is difficult if not impossible to posses the others. Likewise if you posses Trustworthiness you would naturally be inclined to posses other good ethical values and characteristics.
As you stated it is important for the majority of the public to have trust in those who govern us (police and government) otherwise there would be no respect and obedience to the laws.
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GHarrisondavis410
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Posted: Fri Mar 12th, 2010 05:26 am | 5th Post |
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The conflict of interest issue is a tough one and obviously an issue of continuous debate. Is it possible to have an interest or belief in something and still make non-bias decisions. I think recent news of the Bakersfield politician would be a good example of this conflict. He was in the closet about his homosexuality and making decisions against his true beliefs based on the beliefs of those that he governed. Some would say this was honorable because he was not using his own beliefs and interests to lead, he was using that of those he was leading. Obviously others would strongly disagree and say he was being completely hypocritical. He would not have pleased everyone either way, so what is the answer?
Since he wasn't "out of the closet", he blew his trustworthiness in the people, yet if he had been out of the closet, he probably would not have been elected in that city. Again, what is the answer? He should be able to separate his sexual orientation from his career, but as a society we rarely allow that.
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rmarinounion
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Posted: Mon Mar 15th, 2010 05:22 pm | 6th Post |
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Conflict of Interest occurs in law enforcement the minute you receive that free cup of coffee or that discounted meal. To many this might seem the owners’ way of thanking you for a job well done. But in reviewing the Navel web site it indicates that accepting a gratuity is a conflict of interest. An example of this occurred to me in my prior assignment. An Non-profit organization was planning on hosting a casino night for a fund raiser. I met with them and they told me about their fundraiser and what type of events that they were going to have. All of the events were illegal, I explained this to them and they informed me that this was the eleventh year of this fund raiser and it was never a problem before. I then assisted them by informing them of the exemptions to the law and then in applying for a State permit. After many meetings, they finally were able to obtain a permit. At the conclusion of the last meeting they offered two tickets to the event. I declined and informed them that we were just doing our job.
The six pillars of trust are important and mirror some Departments Core Values and Mission Statement. It is critical that officers have these traits so that their integrity is not challenged.
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rmarinounion
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Posted: Mon Mar 15th, 2010 05:26 pm | 7th Post |
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GHarreson
I agree with you that why can't someone make a choice with out worrying about what the "society" thinks. If his values and morals are intact then why cannot we as a society trust him. It shouldn't matter what his sexual orientation is as long as he is doing his job.
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