An organization’s prevalence of corruption can correlate with the quality of its leaders; agencies should strive to develop strong, ethical leadership to deter this problem in their ranks. While law enforcement agencies cannot completely eliminate corruption or mistakes of the heart in the profession, leaders must concentrate on strengthening their leadership skills and abilities to create an environment in which such unacceptable behavior will occur less frequently and will not be tolerated when it does occur. They must avoid getting caught up in the day-to-day tasks required of law enforcement administrators that can adversely affect their leadership efforts. Leaders must acknowledge their mistakes and those of subordinates and learn from them. They also must be willing to ask themselves if they are leading in a manner consistent with their values and ethics as well as those of their organization and profession. 7 endnotes