HARRISBURG — In just one week, the entire staff of the Office of Attorney General has signed a new Code of Conduct to ensure the highest standards of integrity guide every action taken by the office.
The code was introduced and signed last week by Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Chief Integrity Officer Eric Fillman.
First Deputy Attorney General Michelle Henry said, “We’re pledging to one another and to every Pennsylvanian that this office places the highest value on integrity in our work – criminal prosecutions, civil litigation and public protection cases. It sends an important message to the public: You can have faith that the Office of Attorney General is striving every day to achieve justice and fairness in all that we do.”
Last Wednesday – his first full day in office – Shapiro and Fillman asked all OAG colleagues to sign the code, which Fillman and Shapiro drafted. As of yesterday – one week later – Fillman reported that all OAG employees had signed and returned the pledge.
“That is extraordinary and energizing,” Shapiro wrote in an e-mail today to OAG staff. “As I visit with our team in the days and weeks to come, I plan to personally thank you for joining me and every colleague in recommitting ourselves to this basic truth: public service is a public trust.”
“It’s refreshing and revealing that our colleagues signed the code so quickly,” Fillman said. “I’m impressed with the level of professionalism throughout the agency, and I believe it shows our employees place a high value on ethics and integrity. As we work each day, this truly serves the people of Pennsylvania.”
The new Code of Conduct calls on all OAG members to carry out their duties without discrimination or insensitivity to race, color, religion, gender, 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.
Shapiro serves as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General to combat crime, uphold individual rights and protect consumers. He is the sixth person elected to the office, and was sworn in Jan. 17, 2017 as the Commonwealth’s top lawyer and chief law enforcement officer with a mandate to ensure integrity and be the people’s Attorney General.
Some of his top priorities include protecting seniors, veterans, small businesses and consumers from scams and fraud; implementing a comprehensive integrity agenda to ensure people from across the Commonwealth are heard and have faith in the justice system; and directing an aggressive fight against the heroin and opioid epidemic, including treatment for those suffering from addiction.
