Here’s some fabulous trivia, no sarcasm in that statement of course. According to a poll of 5,000 U.S. workers, 74% discovered “misconduct” within their place of business with colleagues who will do “whatever it takes” to achieve business goals.

More than half of workers in banking and finance industries reported trouble in big business paradise. According to The National Law Journal, 60% claim to have seen actions that “could cause a significant loss of public trust if discovered.”

“Restoring trust and confidence in the integrity of our capital markets and institutions will require business leaders to build corporate cultures that reward ‘doing the right thing,’ instead of ‘doing whatever it takes,’ ” said Richard H. Girgenti, national leader for KPMG’s Forensic practice.

“Too often, organizations create compliance programs that look good on paper, but don’t align with how business really gets done,” added Girgenti, also claiming that the tough economy and fears of job losses can undermine ethics programs just when restoring public trust is vital.

“The KPMG data suggest that managers and employees facing heightened pressure to meet revenue and cost targets may resort to improper means of doing so, especially if they think their jobs are in jeopardy if they miss those goals,” he said. “With so much on the line, now is not the time for companies to cut back on the very investments that are designed to safeguard their reputation for integrity.”

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Sometimes I wonder why people don’t pay more attention to the daily news, which frequently reports accidental cop killings. It’s something that occurs on a regular basis and all we do is shake our heads and say, “Not another one!” However, what if a civilian mistakenly shot a passersby? They’d face a trial and most likely a lengthy conviction.

In fact, even if a civilian is defending their home after a burglar steps inside, if they kill the intruder…they go to jail. For example, in the movie Felon, starring Stephen Dorph, the story centers around a man who commits murder in order to protect his home and his wife from a a burglar and winds up in one of California’s most dangerous prisons for years.

Meanwhile, cops are out shooting folks and they get suspended with pay, at best. There are so many cases of this that I can’t begin to write about each one, including the incident that will probably happen again tonight, however, I would like to mention yesterday’s shooting. On Tuesday morning, October 28, 2008, in Anaheim, California, newlywed Julian Alexander stepped outside his home to confront suspected burglars and was shot by cops in a “case of mistaken identity,” stated police. As a result, the innocent man died after taking two bullets to the chest by the officer chasing four burglary suspects.

Police Chief John Welter said the officer ran into Alexander, mistook him for one of the four juvenile suspects and shot him.

“The last thing we ever want to do, No. 1, (is) take somebody’s life,” he said. “And we certainly don’t want to take the life of someone who is mistakenly believed to be involved in some criminal activity.”

“He was a good kid, trying to protect his house,” said Alexander’s mother-in-law Michelle Mooney. “And the police, instead of asking questions, they just shot first. Somebody has to be held responsible for this.”

Held responsible if it’s a cop? Please! The 10-year veteran is suspended on paid leave pending an investigation.

“It’s mistaken identity, but that doesn’t bring my son back,” said Alexander’s father Jerry.

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Los Angeles police officer Robert Hill, 48, hit the jackpot in the courtroom, winning $3 million in compensatory damages and $127,000 in economic damages in a superior court trial for claims that he suffered retaliation after alleging that a supervisor made racist slurs and stole money from a police youth program.

Suing the city of angels in January 2007 after he was transferred from the police department’s Newton division to the Northeast division, Hill stated that he was given inferior assignments and was passed over for promotion to sergeant. According to the city attorney’s office, Hill was transferred because he did not get along with his supervisor. Hill, however, said that he was being retaliated against for reporting to superiors in 2004 that a supervisor made derogatory comments about blacks and Latinos and had taken money from the police department.

In short, the moral of this story is that not all LAPD stick together. There are those brave few who stand on their own and report crimes regardless of where it is coming from.

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