Deck 15: Whistleblowers

Question 1

Whistleblowers within the CJ community are commonly viewed or characterized as

A)Loyal employees
B)Disloyal troublemakers
C)Ethical employees
D)None of the above

Answer 1

B

Question 2

A standard definition of the term whistleblower is used to ensure that all states afford the same conditions of protection.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

All researchers who are employed or funded by the federal government must have a formal mechanism in place with respect to responding to whistleblower complaints.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Which of the following is true regarding the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012?

A)It was intended to fund and broaden protections for federal employees seeking to report misconduct,fraud,and illegality.
B)It expands penalties for violating protections.
C)It adds to the staff of some federal agencies an ombudsperson whose job is to educate agency employees on their rights.
D)All of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is true regarding whistleblower reforms?

A)Reforms should focus on the state and federal laws.
B)Reforms should focus on criminal justice leadership and culture.
C)All of the above
D)None of the above

Question 6

Law enforcement culture is defined by the requirement of loyalty to the agency and to fellow officers.This is referred to as

A)The blue code
B)The wall of silence
C)The code of silence
D)None of the above

Question 7

When retaliation has been exposed,the laws protecting whistleblowers are not strengthened,nor are the retaliators usually punished.

Question 8

Whistleblower describes someone who reports misconduct within his/her own agency or institution relating to

A)Breaches of administrative policy
B)Professional ethics
C)Violations of the law
D)All of the above

Question 9

The suggested reform to assist the would-be whistleblower involves creating and/or strengthening the state and federal laws.

Question 10

Government employees are protected when exercising freedom of speech in relation to issues of misconduct.

Question 11

The whistleblower in the criminal justice system must be prepared to be alone.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a whistleblower protection?

A)OSHA
B)Government-funded research
C)Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grant Program
D)All of the above are whistleblower protections.

Question 13

Explain the significance of the United States Supreme Court decision in Garcetti,et al.v.Ceballos in relation to whistleblowers.
• The Unites State Supreme Court holds that (Garcetti,et al.v.Ceballos,2006)): "When public employees make statements pursuant to their official duties,they are not speaking as citizens for First Amendment purposes,and the Constitution does not insulate their communications from employer discipline."
• Therefore,government employees who are in a position to have direct knowledge and an applied understanding of misconduct do not always have freedom of speech.They are contractually bound to report such violations strictly within their chain of command and are also contractually bound to refrain from speech that harms the image or effectiveness of their agency.

Question 14

Whistleblower protection is theoretical.

Question 15

Which of the following is not identified by Dehaven-Smith (2011))as a characteristic of retaliation against whistleblowers?

A)It often originates at the lowest levels of government.
B)Officials are often willing to commit felonies in an effort to retaliate.
C)Retaliation is sometimes designed to place people's lives at risk.
D)Retaliation is usually devastating for the victims.

Question 16

The term whistleblower references only those who report violations internally (e.g. ,to a supervisor,to human resources,to internal affairs,or to an office of professional responsibility)).

Question 17

Judges are required to report misconduct by other judges and attorneys to ensure the integrity of the court.

Question 18

The Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act was signed into law in 2011.

Question 19

Consider civil litigation.
Code of silence (aka the blue wall of silence)): An unwritten rule in most police departments that prohibits reporting of perjury or other misconduct by fellow officers;it also forbids officers from testifying truthfully if the facts would implicate the conduct of a fellow officer.
Whistleblower: Someone who reports misconduct within his/her own agency or institution.
Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012: Signed into law in 2012,this legislation is intended to reform protections for federal employees seeking to report misconduct,fraud,and illegality.

Question 20

Which of the following is identified in this chapter as a consequence of blowing the whistle?

A)Social ostracism by coworkers
B)Retaliation from management
C)Dismissal
D)All of the above

Question 21

List and explain three whistleblower protections.
•
•
•
•
•