DPSST Ethics 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: An officer's close friend is stopped by a colleague for suspected DUI. The officer asks the colleague to let the friend go as a personal favor. This action is:
- Acceptable as long as no ticket is issued
- An ethical violation that abuses the officer's professional relationships (Correct answer)
- Standard practice for minor traffic matters
- Permitted under community policing principles
Correct answer: An ethical violation that abuses the officer's professional relationships
Using professional relationships to obtain preferential treatment for friends or family members is an abuse of position and violates equal enforcement standards.
Question 2: Which of the following best defines 'integrity' as applied to DPSST-certified professionals?
- Following orders from supervisors without question
- Consistently acting in accordance with ethical principles even when unobserved (Correct answer)
- Achieving high performance evaluation scores
- Building positive relationships with community members
Correct answer: Consistently acting in accordance with ethical principles even when unobserved
Integrity means adhering to moral and ethical principles consistently, including when no one is watching or when it is personally costly.
Question 3: An officer is asked by a supervisor to write a report that omits key facts unfavorable to the department. The officer should:
- Comply because supervisors have authority over report content
- Refuse and document the request, reporting it through appropriate channels (Correct answer)
- Write two versions of the report and let the supervisor choose
- Omit the facts but note the omission in a personal log
Correct answer: Refuse and document the request, reporting it through appropriate channels
Officers are obligated to write accurate and truthful reports; falsifying or omitting material facts at a supervisor's direction is still misconduct and can be criminal.
Question 4: The ethical duty of confidentiality in public safety primarily means:
- Sharing case information with anyone who requests it
- Protecting sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure (Correct answer)
- Refusing to testify in court proceedings
- Keeping all department policies secret from the public
Correct answer: Protecting sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure
Confidentiality requires officers to protect sensitive informationāsuch as victim identities, investigation details, or personnel recordsāfrom inappropriate disclosure.
Question 5: A dispatcher receives a tip that a close family member is involved in a crime being investigated. The dispatcher should:
- Investigate privately before deciding whether to report
- Immediately disclose the conflict of interest to a supervisor (Correct answer)
- Handle the call normally since family relationships are private
- Recuse only if the family member is a primary suspect
Correct answer: Immediately disclose the conflict of interest to a supervisor
Any personal connection to an investigation creates a conflict of interest that must be disclosed immediately so appropriate reassignment can occur.
Question 6: Which of the following scenarios describes an officer acting with moral courage?
- Declining to write a difficult report to avoid controversy
- Reporting a popular supervisor's unethical conduct despite potential retaliation (Correct answer)
- Agreeing with the majority opinion during an ethics review to avoid conflict
- Following orders without raising concerns during a crisis
Correct answer: Reporting a popular supervisor's unethical conduct despite potential retaliation
Moral courage is the willingness to act ethically even when doing so is personally risky or unpopular, such as reporting a supervisor's misconduct.
Question 7: Under Oregon ethics standards, public safety employees must avoid using their position for personal gain. Which action violates this standard?
- Accepting a departmental commendation
- Using a work database to look up an ex-partner's address (Correct answer)
- Receiving overtime pay authorized by a supervisor
- Completing mandatory training on department time
Correct answer: Using a work database to look up an ex-partner's address
Accessing confidential government databases for personal purposesāsuch as locating an ex-partnerāis a serious misuse of official position and access privileges.
DPSST Ethics 3
An officer's close friend is stopped by a colleague for suspected DUI.
The officer asks the colleague to let the friend go as a personal favor.
This action is: