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DISCLOSURE OF IMPROPER GOVERNMENTAL CONDUCT AND REPORTING OF WASTEFUL CONDUCT
Policy Statement
The Board of County Commissioners, County Administrator, elected officials and management representatives of Clackamas County are committed to the highest standards of legal and ethical behavior. All County employees, elected officials, authorized representatives, and volunteers are expected to act lawfully, ethically, and responsibly in performing their duties for the County. In accordance with this policy, all of these individuals are expected to share any good faith and objectively reasonable belief that conduct by other County employees, elected officials, authorized representatives, or volunteers constitutes Improper Governmental Conduct* or Wasteful Conduct if they have personal Knowledge of such conduct.
Purpose
This policy is created to foster a culture of ethical and responsible conduct, as well as a culture of compliance with federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations. In addition, this policy informs employees of the County’s commitment to protect employees from unlawful retaliation against any employee who discloses a good faith and objectively reasonable belief that another County employee, elected official, authorized representative, or volunteer has engaged in Improper Governmental Conduct. The County is also committed to the fair treatment of elected officials, authorized representatives, and volunteers who raise such concerns.
An additional purpose of this policy is to inform employees of the County’s expectations, as well as of their rights and remedies under Oregon law. This policy applies to Improper Governmental Conduct and to the broader categories of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse. Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (together “Wasteful Conduct”) include concerns of: accounting, auditing, or internal financial control issues; Financial Statement Fraud; Corruption; embezzlement; falsification of records; Misappropriation of Assets; theft; sabotage; vandalism; and misuse of County assets or services.
The County’s Fraud Hotline—EthicsPoint—provides a confidential method to make a Disclosure of Improper Governmental Conduct or a report of Wasteful Conduct.
Disclosures of Improper Governmental Conduct may, in certain situations, include conduct that is also considered Wasteful Conduct and vice versa; however, the protections afforded to disclosures and reports differ according to these categories.
* Terms with initial capital letters are defined in this policy.
