This is a relatively small (but sick) incident but as we shall see it has huge implications. The be clear this post is neither for nor against hunting. Those opinions are yours. This post is about organizational arrogance and a lack of ethical training within the organization. Perhaps the issue is can employment be an ethics excuse?“We Work Here, It’s OK” This is not an ethics excuse!
“We Work Here, It’s OK” – An Ethics Excuse
The article in question is: “US wildlife workers plead guilty to poaching-related charges in Colorado.” It was first posted July 12, 2016 by Dan Elliott of the Associated Press.
The article begins:
“Two U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees pleaded guilty to poaching-related charges in the killing of a trophy-class bull elk in western Colorado…(they) pleaded guilty to trespassing on private land that was closed to hunting at the time of the 2014 incident…two other men — who didn’t work for the federal agency — were along on the hunt.”
Not only did two the employees violate the laws of the very agency they are obligated to protect, and not only did they flaunt the rules to two others not associated with the service, but they posted the selfie and trophy on the social media to show everyone they had broken the law. This is what we might characterize as triple-stupid. Employment again is not an ethics excuse. Interestingly, the two hunters are still with the service, even though they are officially (not technically) poachers. They did not hunt for meat or the pelt; they wanted the antlers.
The penalty was $200 in fines (less than a pittance) and the guy who killed the animal was ordered to donate $5,000 to the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (fair enough). Potentially their hunting and fishing privileges could be suspended for five years, after another round of reviews.
The Consequences
The case is transferable to most any other industry, and it is most always against the rules. It is the bank teller stealing funds, the car mechanic taking your new car for his weekend ride or the stock broker investing your funds in her company. Employment is not an ethics excuse.
The hunters knew the rules. There are no gray areas. They broke the rules because they realized there were few consequences. I have no way of knowing this, so it is strictly an opinion, but I would not be shocked if they hadn’t bent the rules several times before. Their arrogance got them caught. They underestimated the power of the social media when they were dumb enough to post the picture. That is what got them caught – not oversight!
Every choice has a consequence, and perhaps the fact that the hunter was caught may seem a enough, but organizationally – throughout the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the punishment may be negligible to “thin.” It begs ethical training as employment isn’t an ethics excuse.
By extension, it is also worth asking why many other governmental have no ethical training on the federal, state or local levels. It would be one thing if this incident where the only one we have seen in years; we all know better. Just six months into 2016, we have detailed cases poor ethics in all aspects of government from local politicians on the take to the twisted bureaucracy of the Veterans Administration. In addition to being “plain wrong,” it is impossible to calculate how much each case of unethical behavior costs the taxpaying public. Even this tiny case cost “us” money in terms of legal fees and it is still on-going. In the case of the VA, it has cost many lives. It the case of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, billions of dollars.
Who cares? We should all care.
I do not for a second believe that ethical training will put an end to such violations of the public trust, but it may stop a percentage – some people may be forced to think twice. Barring that, those who are caught, will and should expect consequences. Might I also suggest that those who are caught after receiving ethical training should suffer larger consequences?
Forewarned should be forearmed; in this case, it is more of a chance than the elk had!
YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!
