HARRISBURG – On his first day in office, Attorney General Josh Shapiro personally signed a new Code of Conduct, fulfilling a promise to Pennsylvanians and leading by example to ensure integrity in the work of the Office of Attorney General.
“The people of Pennsylvania should never again have to doubt the integrity of this office,” Shapiro said as he signed the Code of Conduct in a video shared with every member of the office.
Eric Fillman, the first Chief Integrity Officer in the history of the Attorney General’s office, drafted the Code with Attorney General Shapiro. Fillman appeared in the video with the Attorney General, bearing witness as Shapiro signed the pledge.
“This code is a promise I’m making to you,” Shapiro said, “and a promise every member of this office is making to one another – to uphold the highest standard of integrity and ensure our justice system works for all.”
The new Code of Conduct calls on all members of the office to carry out their duties without discrimination or insensitivity to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.
It highlights the importance of safeguarding all confidential information, and requires compliance with ethics training and other professional certifications. It was placed on the Office of Attorney General’s Web site.
“This code reflects a basic principle,” Shapiro said, “and in signing it I join over 800 members of this office in recommitting ourselves to this truth: Public service is a public trust.”
Shapiro was sworn into office on Tuesday as Pennsylvania’s sixth elected Attorney General before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 800 Pennsylvanians at the Whitaker Center for Art and Science in Harrisburg.
Shapiro promised during his remarks to ensure integrity in the Office of Attorney General, protect consumers, safeguard individual rights and combat the heroin and opioid crisis.