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Public Safety Dispatcher Ethics The issue of "right" and "wrong" is continually being studied--it's the science of ethics. More specifically, it's the science that explains our valuing process, which is deeply embedded in our individual personalities and our collective culture. Sometimes ethics is simplified as "honesty" or "doing the right thing." However, it's much more complex than that for academics. For everyone else, that definition may be sufficient to understand how ethics is involved in our everyday lives.For a public safety dispatcher, the issue of ethics can pop up at almost every turn. And when it does pop up, there is unlikely to be a unanimous opinion on the "right" path to take. But honesty, integrity and reliability are a cornerstone of the public safety profession, and making the correct choice is a critical component. That is why ethics should be a part of a new dispatcher's training, and part of the continuing education of veteran dispatchers Where Are Ethics? Each time a dispatcher makes a decision, or has the opportunity to take some action, his/her ethics come into play. Here are some common examples of ethics:
As you can see, there is a considerable range to incidents that raise ethical questions, from clearly a criminal offense to something that "just isn't right." Knowing what to do in all of these circumstances isn't easy, and it's up to the police, fire or EMS agency to educate their employees on what behavior is acceptable. First, most states have ethics laws that govern the behavior of public employees. In particular, these laws set out standards for accepting gifts, political activity, outside work, awarding of contracts, financial disclosure and abuse of office. Violations of these laws are criminal offenses, and violators can be fined or jailed. The states of Louisiana , Texas and New York have commission or boards that administer state-level ethics codes. In addition, many large cities have ethics codes and boards or departments that administer them. The city of Chicago has a Board of Ethics to administer the city's ordinance on ethics. Check their Web site for full details. Second, the law enforcement community has developed a Code of Ethics, and most agencies have developed their own explanation of the concept (read the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's version). The IACP has an on-line Ethics Tookit that contains valuable information on the subject. Next, several states have developed a Code of Ethics specifically for public safety dispatchers, including Illinois, Utah and Idaho. Other resources are at:
You should also browse our collection of comm center mission statements for more inspiration on the goals and standards of a public safety comm center. Lastly, you may notice that the ethics laws provide strict guidance on what is and is not permissible, while the codes of ethics are very general. Exactly what is in the middle? Quite simply, education and training must fill in that middle ground so every employee knows what is expected of them. There are vast cultural and individual differences in what people believe is "right" and "wrong." In some cases, people do not even realize that a particular action or decision raises ethical issues. Your agency should have a written policy on ethics or an ethics code. It should include any local or state codes that apply to public safety dispatchers. The ethics code or information should be given to new employees on their first day, and they should receive training in what the agency expects. This is an important step is establishing the agency's cultural ethics. Once you trained new employees, you should continue to provide update training on the subject. Here is an outline of a class in ethics for public safety dispatchers, which should take the form of tutorial and feedback from the students.
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