User blog comment:Braveangel/The longest serving turian and the longest serving human/@comment-217683-20100423053316

Well, Saren became a Spectre apparently BECAUSE of his brutal efficiency. Again, it's made clear in Revelation that everyone knows he's a nasty guy, and the Citadel Council is fine with it because he gets results. After all, as the Codex says, "Some are empathetic peacekeepers, resolving disputes through diplomacy. Others are cold-blooded assassins, ruthlessly dispatching problem individuals. All get the job done, one way or another, often operating outside of the bounds of galactic law." Saren was clearly the latter.

As for Harkin, why was he chosen? Likely because he applied. It was a big deal to get a human onto C-Sec. The Alliance Ambassador at the time (may have been Goyle, but that's just speculation), seeing the major diplomatic victory getting a human on the force would be, would likely sign off on anyone who isn't a murderer. If the very nature of the work was what corrupted them, then you'd expect more people to succumb. And if this were the case, it's HIGHLY, HIGHLY doubtful that so many people would have been so appalled by their actions. It's clear from conversations (especially in Harkin's case) that this sort of behavior is far outside the norm. This would suggest that the person in question has at least as much to do with it as the nature of the work.