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The Douglas Factors are:

1) The nature and seriousness of the offense, and its relation to the employee's duties, position, and responsibilities, including whether the offense was intentional or technical or inadvertent, or was committed maliciously or for gain, or was frequently repeated;

2) The employee's job level and type of employment, including supervisory or fiduciary role, contacts with the public, and prominence of the position;

3) The employee's past disciplinary record;

4) The employee's past work record, including length of service, performance on the job, ability to get along with fellow workers, and dependability;

5) The effect of the offense upon the employee's ability to perform at a satisfactory level and its effect upon supervisors' confidence in the employee's ability to perform assigned duties;

6) Consistency of the penalty with those imposed upon other employees for the same or similar offenses;

7) Consistency of the penalty any applicable agency table of penalties;

8) The notoriety of the offense or its impact upon the reputation of the agency;

9) The clarity with which the employee was on notice of any rules that were violated in committing the offense, or had been warned about the conduct in question;

10) The potential for the employee's rehabilitation;

11) Mitigating circumstances surrounding the offense such as unusual job tensions, personality problems, mental impairment, harassment, or bad faith, malice or provocation on the part of others involved in the matter; and

12) The adequacy and effectiveness of alternative sanctions to deter such conduct in the future by the employee or others.

The penalty for misconduct will be mitigated or aggravated only after full and fair consideration of all available information. The Table of Penalties is a guide to help ensure consistent application of similar penalties for similar offenses, but the selection of a penalty should always be appropriate to the facts of the case.

Statutory, regulatory, or policy citations listed in the Offense Codes or Penalty Guidelines are provided strictly for the convenience of the user. A specific reference to a statute, regulation, or policy in the Offense Codes or Penalty Guidelines does not mean that the citation is the only one applicable or that a citation is required to determine a violation. Although a criminal statute or conduct may be cited, the level of proof required for disciplinary purposes does not rise to the level required for criminal prosecution.

Suspensions are imposed in calendar days, not work days, and are intended to be served concurrently. Demotions may also be considered as an appropriate disciplinary measure even though they are not specifically designated as a penalty in the Penalty Guidelines. (Consult with designated Secret Service Employee Relations officials (Human Capital Division) for additional guidance.)

Combination of Penalties

In cases where more than one offense is substantiated against an employee, the penalties may be added together. However, in proposing a disciplinary action, the proposing official will not assess multiple penalties where the substantiated charges are essentially restatements of the same misconduct. Further, if an employee commits more than one kind of offense, then the employee may be subject to a higher penalty to