A suspected terrorist is arrested in connection with an imminent terror
threat. A bomb has been discovered at a local shopping center. The timer shows that the
bomb will detonate in 2 hours. The man in custody is believed to be the bomb maker and the
only person who knows how to disable the bomb. You and your partner are brought in to
interrogate the suspect. An hour passes, and you haven't made any progress. Your partner
unplugs all the recording equipment and asks you to leave the room. Twenty minutes later the
officer exits the room with the code to deactivate the bomb. You look inside the room to find the
suspect unconscious and his face covered in blood. Your partner asks you to back up his story
that the suspect became aggressive during the interrogation and that he was simply defending
himself. There is no tape to challenge your version of the events. It would be the terrorist's
word against yours.
Would you follow your partner's instructions? Why or why not? Be sure to include in your answer the
ethical and legal consequences of your decision.