This Question at PE Renewal...... 2

[WARose]

Has anyone else noticed when you renew your license on-line (in some states) the question: "have you been arrested/do you have charges pending" gets asked now? The first time I noticed it was a couple of years back (in Georgia). Just noticed it again when I renewed in New York (today).

Wonder if they would act on you just being arrested or charged. (Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?) Or is it a situation they just monitor?

Glad I've never had any trouble with the law.

 

[Terratek]

Most of us need to keep working to pay the bills. So self recuse, in a case where one believes self to be innocent, is probably just a fantasy in an internet forum thread.

 

[CWB1]

Surely you've heard of administrative leave or restricted (desk) duty? Its much the same thing. Everybody from public servants to private employees are usually subject to those pretty quickly as a matter of standard process when ethical or career-impacting accusations are made regardless of company size. If nothing else, companies do so to give the appearance of cooperating with investigating authorities and prevent the appearance of impropriety.

 

[WARose]

Surely you've heard of administrative leave or restricted (desk) duty?

Yeah.....for cops. And in many cases: it's paid time.

Everybody from public servants to private employees are usually subject to those pretty quickly as a matter of standard process when ethical or career-impacting accusations are made regardless of company size. If nothing else, companies do so to give the appearance of cooperating with investigating authorities and prevent the appearance of impropriety.

That presupposes it is something work related.

 

[IRstuff]

"Whatever happened to recusing yourself from professional activities until relevant court decisions were made?"

Lawsuits can go on for years; do you stop working for 2 yrs?

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

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[WARose]

Lawsuits can go on for years; do you stop working for 2 yrs?

Exactly. Same deal with criminal cases. It can take a great deal of time for your case to come up.

 

[IRstuff]

Your presumption of innocence, under the US Constitution, would suggest that there is no need to "recuse" yourself. Moreover, unless the charge relates to competence, there ought not be any presumption that anything else you do is necessarily tainted.

TTFN (ta ta for now)
I can do absolutely anything. I'm an expert!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKorP55Aqvg

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[CWB1]

Yeah.....for cops. And in many cases: it's paid time.

That presupposes it is something work related.

Lawsuits can go on for years; do you stop working for 2 yrs?

Barring an admission or being caught doing something heinous enough to justify immediate dismissal, leave in these instances is usually paid for engineers and other professionals too. If the case isn't work related and not something likely to cost your license, its probably not applicable to this thread.

Regarding lengthy court proceedings, I would take a token short leave then be checking with both the judge and state board before resuming independent work and my employer would be dictating my return to work otherwise. I'll ask forgiveness after the fact of many people but not the legal system when I'm already in trouble.

 

[WARose]

[blue](CWB1)[/blue]

Barring an admission or being caught doing something heinous enough to justify immediate dismissal, leave in these instances is usually paid for engineers and other professionals too.

At just about every place I've worked at: you are billable or you are gone. (Or on unpaid furlough.) Needless to say what this would do to someone who is self-employed.

[blue](CWB1)[/blue]

Regarding lengthy court proceedings, I would take a token short leave then be checking with both the judge and state board before resuming independent work and my employer would be dictating my return to work otherwise. I'll ask forgiveness after the fact of many people but not the legal system when I'm already in trouble.

Better hope the "judge and state board" green light your return to work (which is the whole point of this thread).....otherwise you could be in trouble.

 

[Terratek]

I'll ask forgiveness after the fact of many people but not the legal system when I'm already in trouble.

Assuming that you are not required by law to stop practicing as an engineer during the time of question, how would you be creating a situation where you later had to ask for forgiveness (or face more punishment) if you did not recuse yourself? Sorry, I just don't see the practical element to what you are trying to say.

Ex: someone stole my identity and committed fraudulent acts with it. I'm charged with fraud but not convicted. I know I didn't do it. So, I should just stop working as an engineer until the mess is straightened out? I'm not qualified to be judge of myself here? This is somehow a more professional way of conducting myself? Sorry, I just don't see it like that?

 

[bridgebuster]

I renewed NYS last year and don't recall if it said "arrested" or "convicted" and I renewed recently Pennsylvania and I think it said arrested. In NY, your license can be suspended for DUI. In reading the NYS Education Department's disciplinary actions I've come across more than half a dozen people I know.