Just because you CAN, does it mean you SHOULD?

Technology IS change. Rapid change. Change creates opportunities, some good some not so good. When we face change we often need to consider ethics and ethical behavior. Consider the following situation in which 28 Lincoln Nebraska Police officers found themselves suspended for their apparent misuse of technology.

Update: Chief Casady Speaks on LPD Suspensions


In this blogging exercise please view the information on the police suspensions and answer these 5 questions:

Do you think it was ethical for the police officers to view dvds and sports programs during their shift? Why or why not?

Were the officers harming anyone by this behavior, the public? the employer/taxpayer? What if they really didn't know or understand what they were doing was as wrong as the chief of police said it was?

Consider if the websites in question were blocked, and the officers found a way to get around the block, does it change the situation, why or why not?

Are the ethics involved in this case the same for police officers as they might be for students and teachers? Why or why not?

What do you think is ethical behavior for using technology in the workplace and school? Consider this, Cyber Monday (the monday after Thanksgiving) is the single biggest internet sales event for the entire year, how much work time is spent shopping online for this to be true?