Journey from Law Enforcement: Quitting Due to Ethical Dilemmas and the Road Back
Midway through my second stint as a Deputy in law enforcement, I faced numerous challenges that led me to reconsider my career path. While I didn’t leave my department due to direct corruption, I ultimately made a difficult decision due to ethical dilemmas and a desire to provide better for my growing family. Here is my story.
Finding a New Career Opportunity
When I was around halfway through my second term as a Deputy, I became increasingly frustrated with the low pay and felt I couldn’t provide the best support for my growing family. The opportunity to transition to the field of pain management seemed like a way to boost my income and potentially make a difference. The employers were looking for former law enforcement officers, like myself, to serve as auditors. The role involved catching patients who were scamming the system for pain medications and then reselling them on the black market.
The Initial Success and Ethical Challenges
The job started well. Using drug testing and pharmacy reports, I was able to identify and kick out patients who were misusing the system. The pay increase was significant, and I thought I was making a positive impact. However, as time passed, I started to notice that my employers were becoming more concerned about the cash flow. They expressed a desire to change the drug testing protocols, which suggested they wanted to reduce the number of patients flagged as potential scammers. This was a real ethical challenge for me; my job now seemed to be less about helping those in need and more about restricting access to necessary medications.
Legal and Moral Boundaries
Ultimately, the breaking point came when I discovered that my employers had not performed due diligence on the legality of running pharmacy reports. I learned that it was not legally permissible for auditors like me to conduct these types of checks without proper certification. This revelation was ethically distressing because I was essentially breaking the law on a daily basis. I couldn’t continue with this contradicting behavior and was eventually laid off when the doctor running the clinic had to take time off for surgery. I chose to leave my job and returned to the sheriff's office, where I was certified and trained, and felt more aligned with my principles.
Reflecting on the Transition
Reflecting on this experience, I realized that while the increase in pay was tempting, the ethical compromises were untenable. I returned to the sheriff's office, where I never looked back, even with the low pay. I soon learned that money was not the only factor in employment, and ethical integrity was just as critical.
Conclusion: Happy Ending
The pain clinics were eventually shut down for engaging in crooked practices, and my salary at the sheriff's office did improve, even surpassing what I had earned at the pain clinic initially. This experience taught me valuable lessons: about spotting individuals who were misusing prescription pain medication and about the importance of ethical decisions in employment. The story ended well, with both personal and professional growth.