Length of Course: 1 day
Instructor:  James W. Dodson 

Course Description:   One of the greatest training needs currently facing public safety and criminal justice agencies is the need for sound and effective integrity and ethics training.  More employees are lost each year due to “integrity and ethics” violations than are lost to actual line of duty deaths. These usually, self-inflicted acts that lead to personal and professional derailment often generate intense media attention that not only negatively impact the employee, but family members, departments, and the communities that we serve. This alarming and unacceptable fact gives tremendous merit to “integrity and ethics” being one of the most pressing training needs facing our professions.  Very often ethics training is flawed because of the very inadequate amount of time allotted and then some instructors dryly discuss the difference between right and wrong, citing verbiage from the department’s code of conduct and standard operating procedures.  “Ethical Decision Making” is not a “touchy-feel good” course, but rather a powerful one-day training seminar that gets right to the heart of the public safety and criminal justice cultures, the  real life integrity problems and ethical dilemmas that working professionals face on a daily basis, and throughout their career. The instructor's unique way of taking unpopular, controversial and often complex subjects and presenting them so that participants can easily listen, understand and integrate proven principles, makes this course very effective and career enhancing. 

Course Objective:   Public safety and criminal justice professionals are constantly confronted with some of society’s most difficult and demanding problems which are exacerbated by a culture which feeds on the moral decline of our country. The sound   principles presented in this training will assist in enhancing their ethical decision making ability and provide them with essential career survival skills to successfully navigate the “occupational minefields” in both their personal and professional lives.

Course Topics:   (Note: these two modules are identical to the one in the two-day (“Leadership Challenge”)

Integrity:    A way of life or lip service, integrity vs. image, knowing where the line is, politically correct is not always correct, bad company corrupts good character, profile of a lie, policing the public safety professions and dealing with workplace misconduct, what accountability and liability really mean, physical bravery vs. moral bravery,  admitting mistakes and avoiding cover-ups, reporting acts of misconduct, the old culture vs. the new culture,  defining true  brotherhood, a mistake or misconduct, honesty and the boomerang syndrome, why the truth will always come out, Rambo and the qualified immunity defense, character, courage, honor and duty

Ethics:   Integrity vs. ethics, why situational ethics fail, purpose of code of ethics, promoting the code of honor, the noble officer cause and the end justify the means theory, testifying or testlying, personal ethics vs. professional ethics, defining true brotherhood, professional courtesy or favoritism, freedom to do the job.

Who Should Attend?:  Sworn and civilian public safety and criminal justice professionals at all levels will benefit from this training.  Law Enforcement, street and road patrol officers, FTO’s criminal investigators, trainers, supervisors, mid-level and upper level management.  Fire Service and EMS personnel, Correctional and Detention personnel, Probation and Parole personnel at all levels.

 Benefits of Attending:

• Provides professionals at all levels of the public safety and criminal justice professions with a personal leadership structure that promotes leadership from the inside out.

• Provides personnel with the “winning edge: in personal and career survival by equipping them with sound leadership principles to successfully navigate the “occupational landmines” in both their personal and professional lives.

• A great jump-starting course for those dedicated professionals who may have lost their vision and/or experiencing symptoms of disillusionment, frustration, burnout and who may be struggling to continue in a career that aims to serve and protect.

• A tremendous aid to administrators attempting to reset the organizational leadership picture or culture.

• Develops personal leadership skills of employees while allowing management to adopt a very proactive approach to human resource development and the prevention of employee misconduct.