March Madness Preventing Criminal Conduct

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headshotsmallBy Kimberly Silva
Tweet Kimberly @KimberlySSilva

March Madness is in full swing at our home.  NCAA Tournament apps are on every portable electronic device (including mine). My two sons sport their Under Armour® gear telling them to PROTECT THIS HOUSE ®.

This year’s tournament reminds me of Chapter 8 of the US Sentencing Guidelines Manual instructing us to ‘exercise due diligence to prevent and detect criminal conduct’.

Success in both requires a strong and relentless defense and offense. Both are a team effort with players having different, but equally important, responsibilities.  If one team member isn’t on top of their game, the entire team suffers. Defense and offense each use a multi-pronged approach. On the defense you need to keep your arms up, slide, stay with your man, and block the shot. On the offense it’s stay out of the corner, pass effectively, and be open to take the shot.  All of those tactics sound like what great compliance and fraud prevention professionals do every day.

Despite all the preparation and practice, if you fail to be strong and relentless, you lose the game. My Alma mater, Providence College – last year’s Big East Champions, went out in the first game. Even the best of the best can be taken down.  Last year’s tournament champ, UCONN, graduated some of their top talent and didn’t even get an invite to the Big Dance. Top seed Villanova – out before the Sweet Sixteen. Contenders Iowa State and Baylor – gone. No matter who you are, you can’t rest on your laurels because the opponent surely won’t.  In the fight against criminal conduct, like in basketball, if you’ve done everything possible to play the game well you still might lose, but you can hold your head high after a tough loss.

Both self appointed and professionally trained experts in college hoops do their best to predict the outcome, yet the odds of being perfect are practically impossible.

Of the 11.57 million bracket picks recorded on the ESPN Tournament Challenge, zero made it the Sweet 16 accurately this year.

In either arena, passion, dedication, a full playbook, the ability to adjust quickly, along with nonstop practice and education, are the key to getting the job done. Big win or bruising loss, we pause only briefly before we focus on the next opponent.

Let the Madness continue.

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