My blog introduction.........

Hello! My name is Patrick and welcome to my blog. I would like to give you a quick background on me so that you can understand a little about me and where I come from. I was born and mostly raised in Florida. I am the son of a retired Navy Command Master Chief and a very independent and strong willed mother. I am the middle child of three and we were fortunate to have the ability to travel while growing up. Being a Navy brat, I was glad to see most of Europe as I lived in Scotland for four years.

Due to being a Navy brat and Hispanic, to say I lived in a very regimented and strict household would be putting it mildly. I have to admit that even though I didn't always agree with my parents, I can honestly say they were parents first and foremost. My parents didn't try to appease me and be my friend or let outside influences tell them how to properly raise their children. Because they cared they told me no a lot as well as what I would and would not do. Although I did not always agree with them growing up, now that I have children I understand what they were doing and as it turns out I am now my father, thanks dad.

Fast forward a few years to 1995 when I graduated from Florida State University (Criminology & Criminal Justice with a minor in Mathematics). After earning my Bachelor's degree, I went through the law enforcement academy in Tallahassee which culminated into the beginning of my law enforcement career in 1996. I am currently employed with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and have worked my way up the ranks to my current rank of Lieutenant. Since my career began, I have seen law enforcement change and I am eagerly waiting to see how it will continue to evolve. In addition to being in law enforcement, I am an instructor at the local law enforcement academy. I have been an instructor there since 2008.

I am currently a District Lieutenant and I supervise approximately 40 deputies. Due to my career choice, I believe that it is very important to understand the dynamics of ethical decisions and behavior from an administrations point of view. I say this because it is incumbent upon me to ensure that my troops follow the rules and orders given to them. If they stray from the path it is up to me to begin the process of corrective measures, but I admit that it is sometimes difficult to know when to give a stern warning or when to “write it up”. I believe that my 17 years in law enforcement has given me a unique perspective in which I can talk about ethics and ethical behavior. My hope is that through the adventure and experience of this blog that I can learn and reinforce my ethical decision making process and enlighten others along the same path.

 I am currently attending Troy University and going through the Public Administration Master's program, I believe that by obtaining my degree in Public Administration it will assist not only me but my agency as a whole. Due to national current events, I see the need for a more consistent and public stance on law enforcements ethical values and beliefs. I do not believe that we should punish an entire profession because of a few bad or corrupt individuals. It is my opinion that no matter what profession is looked at; bad, corrupt or unethical individuals will be found.


I created this blog to openly discuss "Ethics". It is important to understand why people choose to do what they do, not only in their personal lives but also in their careers and out in the community. In the professional world, how do their choices affect public administrations, the community and the organizations they work for? The conscious decisions people make, may not have an immediate impact but I believe that they will have a cumulative affect over time on not only themselves but their peers, organizations and the community. Unethical behavior is like a cancer, unless it is stopped it will continue to grow. In addition, this blog will discuss topics such as ethical models, public and personal ethics, ethical issues in the public sector, ethical dilemmas and potential solutions.

 I will be providing a new post each week and each post will be on ethics. Some of the ethics topics that may be discussed are:
Ethical foundations
Ethics perspectives on a Macro, Meso and Micro level
Values, Ethics & Dilemmas
Moral and Ethical beliefs
Cognitive Ethics
Virtue Theory
Organizational Ethics
Corruption Control
Public Service Ethics

As you can see there is lots to talk about and this will be a unique adventure. I will be posting a new blog each week so come back and see what the topic of the week will be. In case you didn’t find this blog directly, the URL is Patrickvega.blogspot.com . Any and all comments are welcome! I want to thank you in advance for viewing my blog, I hope to make it a pleasant and memorable experience.