Johnny was challenged on several expenses, but no formal complaint or discipline occurred. After the incident with IA, Johnny began openly challenging everything management said or wrote, including openly challenging the termination of another employee. Ethical Dilemmas -- There are several ethical issues present in this scenario. Most involve honesty, attention to policy, and professionalism. We can chart them out thus:

Issue

Ethical Dilemma

Potential Consequences

Use of official funds for non-official business.

Theft of public funds.

Reprimand, dismissal or prosecution.

Knowingly contributing to dishonesty on the job.

Theft of funds, non-adherence to oath or code.

Reprimand, dismissal or prosecution.

Unprofessional conduct -- demeaning management.

Not supportive of supervisor, not team player.

Reprimand, dismissal or demotion.

Potential conflict of interest being alone, late at night, in bars with another woman.

Inappropriate use of funds, time and unprofessional relationship issues.

Reprimand, dismissal or prosecution.

Using a police vehicle after hours for non-police business.

Lack of respect for supervisor and use of professional vehicle for non-professional use.

Reprimand, dismissal or demotion.

Participating in events that misuse official funds.

Dishonesty and contributing to culture of graft.

Reprimand, dismissal or prosecution.

Clear and vocal insubordination.

Failure to be professional, openly confrontational.

Reprimand, dismissal or demotion.

Home situation.

Unable to separate work and home, letting down his family, non-participation in marriage.

Divorce, estrangement from family, psychological problems.

Supervisory Issues:

Lack of control over employee, employee expenses.

Lack of consequences for insubordination, theft, and non-compliance with rules.

Lack of consistency in evaluation -- not mentioning issues, reprimands, etc.

Allowing a culture of open defiance to continue.

Ethical Decision...

Clear dishonesty to department and supervisors.
Pursuit of Social Justice; Confidentiality and Integrity

Use all appropriate means to alleviate harm.

Has a diminished capacity for judgment; all accused are criminals, all supervisors are bad, etc.

Confidentiality, Integrity, and Pursuit of Social Justice

Freedom of choice and family issues.

Lacking veracity and devotion to family and marriage vows.

Decision Making Model - Ethics and morals are not clean cut, black and white philosophical tenets in modern society. There are principals to follow, many of which have been assessed over thousands of years. However, because human beings are unique, so are situational ethics within the day-to-day operations of law enforcement. The bases of morality include four major theoretical principles that are useful in helping make ethical decisions:

Autonomy -- in law enforcement, actions are taken without outside control, permission, and/or developing a program or action. Autonomy implies that there is a reason for actions, and that reason must be legal and moral.

Beneficence -- Beneficence is a moral obligation to act in ways that benefit in the interest of others. Most individuals enter into the vocation of law enforcement because they wish to