Fast and Furious
The Fast and Furious project raises the ethical issue of the Department of Justice aiding rather than abating crime. By allowing criminals to purchase guns through straw purchases, the DOJ was going against what they stand for and also putting the lives of other people such as Brian Terry, in grave danger.
Despite the ethical questions arising from this case, the program was necessary to achieve the results the DOJ believed it would. Through the project, the DOJ was able to catch up with 20 suspects involved in firearm trafficking (CNN, 2019). They also managed to arrest and imprison all the perpetrators involved in the murder of Border Agent, Brian Terry.
The decision to set up a fast and furious project is based on deontology, an ethical system concerned with an individual’s primary duty (McCartney & Parent, 2018). The system focuses on the moral intent of an action or a decision. In the Fast and Furious case, the decision was out of the DOJ’s duty to abate crime. The intentions of the COJ were from a moral point of view despite some of the negative consequences that followed.
The DOJ had the option of analyzing ammunition sale and purchase data and identifying pathways that enable criminals to possess guns. However, this option often took longer making it difficult to track down criminals.
References
CNN. (2019, February 28). Operation fast and furious fast facts. Retrieved from cnn.com: https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/americas/operation-fast-and-furious-fast-facts/index.html
McCartney, S., & Parent, R. (2018). Ethics in Law Enforcement.