Corporations today are expected by consumers to conduct business in an ethical, forthright manner, in adherence to all governing laws. However, what happens when companies violate ethical codes and even break the law? More importantly, how do these unethical business practice become public and who is responsible for releasing this information. To the public, the person that releases this information is often known as an informant, a mole, or a whistleblower. A whistleblower is a person that can and will release information about an organization to the public. More specifically, a whistleblower will reveal information pertaining to illegal activity that the organization is involved in. There are many examples of whistleblowers that have …show more content…
When Serpico entered the police force his was expecting to protect and serve. As any new offer would, he thought his job was to find the bad guys, and lock them up, with the intention of protecting the public from criminal activity. However, what he found was different from what he had expected. Serpico quickly discovered numerous criminal activities within the police department. Frank uncovered police officers taking kickbacks from criminals so they could break the law without the threat of being caught. The officers were being paid to “look the other way” in activities like prostitution, drugs, and gambling. Serpico was so irritated with his findings that he took his concerns to the district attorney and when his concerns were not addressed appropriately he enlisted the help of a reporter. This action resulted in a scandal that would be played out publicly for the world to see. The Knapp commission was put together to investigate his allegations and this caused much embarrassment for the NYPD. The commission substantiated many of Serpico’s claims and the police department would be under a microscope for many years. In 1971 Serpico was shot in the face and he almost lost his life. He retired shortly after the shooting but the scandal that he brought to light would not disappear that