Ethics Corner

Public service is a public trust, and all DoD employees are expected to act ethically at all times. This new series on ethics will present cautionary examples drawn from the DoD Standards of Conduct Office Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures. If you have questions about ethics or are unsure about a certain course of conduct, contact the NASCC Staff Judge Advocate’s office by calling 361-961-3535. Most of the cases outlined in this series could have been avoided if the offender had simply asked for guidance! Today’s story comes from the Department of the Treasury and is about an employee using her official position to get favorable treatment: A Supervisory Special Agent for the Department of the Treasury (GS-14) was a passenger in a car that was pulled over by a local police officer. When the officer approached the vehicle, the employee presented the officer with her credentials identifying herself as a Federal Agent. The police officer had not asked to see the employee’s identification at all. Because law enforcement officials may be tempted to treat other law enforcement officials more favorably, the Department determined the employee presented her government credentials to the police officer in hopes of receiving more favorable treatment. The federal employee did not explicitly ask the police officer for any favors, but the circumstances led her agency to the conclusion that she had attempted to use her official position for personal gain, which is prohibited by federal ethics rules. As a result, the employee’s agency determined that she was untrustworthy as a supervisor and she was demoted.