Where I Stand — Grant Ashley: On serving the public

Saturday, Aug. 26, 2000 | 3:13 a.m.

Editor's note: In August Where I Stand is written by guest columnists. Today's guest, Grant Ashley, is special agent in charge of the FBI's Las Vegas division.WE ALL WANT the best government possible -- one that is responsive and faithful to its legitimate mission. Whether local, state or federal, our governments are only as good as the people who serve in their many positions.

I am concerned by the results of several surveys of college students who rank a career in nonelected public service as a much less attractive profession than those previously surveyed. This trend emerged several years ago and must be reversed.

No honest public servant enters the profession with the expectation that monetary compensation will make them wealthy. The compensation is generally less than that which could be commanded in the private sector. Yet my greatest professional satisfaction comes not from the paycheck, but from providing excellent service to the public -- be it as abstract as affording a greater sense of security in their homes or financial dealings or to the very direct exhilaration of returning safely to its parents a child who has been kidnapped. With each promotion, I have learned to look for personal satisfaction in the excellence in service provided to the public by my employees and the organization.

One of my most important responsibilities is planning for the future. I work closely with the public, civic leaders, the business community and my counterparts in law enforcement agencies to anticipate the problems, and we devise strategies to meet our obligations to the public. It remains crucial that I also ensure that the FBI hires the very best employees from our diverse society and that I identify and help develop future leaders. Many of my peers in all walks of public service agree with me that this is not only of the highest priority but is becoming increasingly difficult.

Obvious responses to the change in reasons for the decreasing value of a career in public service include the comparatively lower wages, competition from the private sector in a tight labor market and the need to relocate at the behest of the government entity. I believe that other factors also affect the interest and willingness of college students to consider public service as a career.

Not since the Depression have public service or government employees been so vilified. I expect to be held to the highest standards of judgment and accountability. I must ensure that my employees and I rigorously obey the Constitution of the United States, respect the dignity of those we protect, act with compassion and fairness and have uncompromising personal and institutional integrity. In matters of judgment, I must not blunder or engage in folly.

However, it must be recognized by those we serve that, despite the best efforts and intentions, outcomes are often beyond the control of public servants. We all are aware of events that cause us to question the decision making of public officials. The tragic and disastrous consequences of Waco will always be part of the FBI's legacy. The FBI examined its responses and capabilities and re-engineered its crisis management to improve not only its decision making and capabilities but also to ensure that deep introspection occurs with each action, irrespective of its outcomes. We learn from our mistakes and successes and those of others as well.

I believe that some potential public servants reject the profession after observing intense criticisms of public servants following a failure of policy or action.

Sometimes public servants cannot deliver the outcomes we and the public so badly desire -- even when the planning and implementation of policy or actions occurred flawlessly. On these rare occasions, we need your support. Hold public servants accountable to a very high standard but acknowledge the risk that is being addressed as well as that we face risks and limitations caused by unavailable information, time and resource constraints. While holding us to the highest standards, also remember that often the best that can be accomplished is managing the risk.

I am seeing trends throughout all government agencies wherein managers shy away from risk management in favor of avoiding risk. This may not always be the best public policy. I suspect that if risk avoidance were to always prevail, we would never have enjoyed the scientific and medical breakthroughs derived from NASA's Apollo program. Many of the 28 kidnappings I supervised in my earlier years would not have all ended as happily as they did.

I love public service and strive to provide the very best to those I serve. I also desire that our emerging workforce be eager to serve and enjoy the confidence and support of the most important component of government -- the American people.