Whistleblowing
Contents
Introduction
Unfortunately, government officials and employees will sometimes make mistakes or engage in activities that are inconsistent with the requirements of their positions or with the public trust. Obviously, it is to the jurisdiction's benefit, and to the public trust, that improper actions be recognized and curative actions taken. Often, this may not be possible unless someone reports the improper actions. However, by making a report adverse to an official or a superior, there is a risk that, in return, an adverse action will be taken against the person who made the report. Whistleblowing policies guard against improper actions being taken against the "whistleblower." This page provides links to federal, state and local whistleblowing legislation and provides information regarding the policies that can be used to offer protection to those who want to report wrongdoing.
Legal References
- RCW 42.41 - Local Government Whistleblower Protection
- The State Employee Whistleblower Act - Information from the State Auditor. Includes:
- Federal Whistleblower Statutes
Documents
Washington City Ordinance Provisions and Policies
- Bellevue Municipal Code Ch. 3.80 - City Whistleblower Policy and Procedures
- Brier Ordinance No. 263 (
) - Procedures for Reporting Improper Governmental Action and Providing Protections for Employees against Retaliation, 1992
- Deer Park Resolution No. 1993-001 () - Local Government Employee Whistleblower Act Policy, 1993
- Fircrest Resolution No. 494 () - Employee Whistleblower Protection Policy, 1992
- Friday Harbor Ordinance No. 911 () - Reporting Improper Governmental Action and Protecting Employees Against Retaliation, 1993
- Issaquah Resolution No. 93-14 () - Reporting Improper Governmental Action and Protecting City Employees Against Retaliation, 1993
- Langley Whistleblower Protection Policy, Langley Personnel Policy Manual - Reporting Improper Governmental Action
- Monroe Reporting Improper Governmental Action and Protecting Employees Against Retaliation Policy (), 2003
- Poulsbo Resolution No. 92-26 () - Local Government Employee Whistleblower Act, 1993
- Redmond Resolution No. 946 () - Adopting a Whistleblower Protection Program, 1993
- Tumwater Employee Code of Ethics and Policy for Reporting Improper Governmental Action and Protecting Employees Against Retaliation (Whistle Blower) (), 2011
- Spokane Policy (), revised 02/2006
Washington County Ordinance Provisions
Other Documents
- Whistleblowing and Free Speech in Public Employment (), by Russell L Perisho, Perkins Coie, 1992 (Reproduced with permission of author) - This article provides an excellent overview of the subject of whistleblower protection for local government employees in the State of Washington. However, it was written in 1992 and has not been updated since that date. There have been several legislative amendments since that time to the Washington Local Government Whistleblower Protection Act, Ch. 42.41 RCW. Therefore, check with your city or town attorney to be certain of the current applicability of information contained in this article.
- Encouraging Internal Whistleblowing in Organizations, by Lilanthi Ravishankar, 2003 - Available from the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics of Santa Clara University
- King County Ombudsman Whistleblower
Additional References
- National Whistleblowers Center - A nonprofit center devoted to helping whisleblowers
- Government Accountability Project - Another nonprofit organization devoted to assisting whistleblowers
Related MRSC Resources