Bachelor's Degree to Get Higher Pay Deemed Fraudulent

In hopes of getting a promotion and raise, a sheriff's officer in Volusia County, Florida directed other staff members to help him complete projects ("Volusia Sheriff's Lieutenant Demoted over College Course Cheating," The Daytona-Beach News-Journal, February 24, 2012). Brodie Hughes faced nine other work-related job-performance infractions in the past, but his most recent lapse in ethical judgment caused a demotion to deputy and a pay cut. Three sheriff's office employees submitted homework and papers in his name while on duty. Those staff members will avoid punishment since they were following orders of their supervisor.

Discussion Questions:

1. The demoted employee is still on the job according to the news article. How do you think you might feel about him continuing to work for the sheriff's office if you were one of the staff members that did his work? What if you were a deputy working with him? Would you be able to trust him to do his job, given his most recent job-related infraction?
2. This situation came to light when someone sent an anonymous letter to the sheriff's office outlining the unethical behavior of the former officer. Would you have the courage to speak up about this problem if you worked for the sheriff's office and knew what was happening? Would you worry that you might lose your job or face backlash from the officer if someone discovered you wrote the  anonymous note? Why or why not?
3. Take a look at the Volusia County Sheriff's Office Mission Statement at http://volusia.org/sheriff/mission.htm. There is a sentence that states, "The foundation of this organization is defined by its employee's honesty, moral standards, compassion, sincerity, and caring attitude." Is this organization going against it's stated mission by allowing this deputy to continue working for the office? Why or why not?