There are big problems in the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the state agency that, according to its mission statement, is supposed “to protect human life by enforcing state laws, deterring criminal activity and ensuring public safety.”
Ensuring public safety is easier said than done.
DPS needs an extremely well-led and highly motivated workforce to accomplish its mission and take the lead in Arizona’s growing war with Mexican organized crime gangs.
Arizona is a major transshipment point and base of operations for criminal activities coming from Mexico.
For years DPS has been ill-equipped for properly patrolling highways, running the state crime lab and collecting and sharing information thanks to legislative underfunding, short staffing and political meddling.
But since 2010, when Gov. Jan Brewer appointed retired DPS commander Bobby Halliday director of Arizona’s state police, more problems have arisen that are further impacting our safety and DPS’s mission.
Low morale and leadership issues are now part of DPS’s problems.
According to the May employee survey commissioned by the Fraternal Order of Police and conducted by the nationally recognized National Business Research Institute, 95 percent of DPS employees blame Halliday’s administration for low morale at the agency.
Halliday, who retired from DPS in 2008 as a middle manager, started his tenure as director by promoting two lieutenants, entry-level middle managers, to be his assistant directors and a retired commander to be his deputy director and round out the executive staff team charged with leading Arizona’s state police and more than 2,000 employees.
Questions about Halliday’s fitness for leadership go back to his senate confirmation hearings. He was questioned about a 2000 brush with Payson police following a disturbance, as well as his relationship with the trucking industry, a group critical of DPS’ enforcement efforts. After Halliday’s confirmation, DPS altered its policy and prohibited officers from making “administrative stops” on trucks, which do not require probable cause but are done to check drivers’ log books and look for safety violations.
Commercial trucks are often used for carrying contraband back and forth from Mexico.
Questions have now arisen about DPS’s disbanding of a squad of detectives assigned to a joint federal, Phoenix police and DPS unit targeting major drug traffickers.
In response to the FOP survey, Halliday assembled a committee of sworn and civilian employees that included a major, bureau manager, sergeant, two officers and a crime lab criminalist to review the survey. The committee was chaired by a highly respected retired Phoenix police command officer and that city’s emergency management coordinator.
Halliday directed the committee to “address the findings of the 2011 employee survey and recommend solutions.” The committee reported “statistically the results of the survey reach a 99% confidence level with a 5% sampling error.”
The committee reported the survey found the “primary root cause” of low morale could be traced right to the top of DPS. According to the committee report, “the Executive Staff’s vision, professionalism and judgement have resulted in a decreased quality of life and working conditions.” The survey “established low morale within DPS significantly affects the daily performance of employee duties.”
Low employee performance means the Mexican gangs win more often.
The committee recommended Halliday change his executive staff, establish a disciplinary review board, ensure policies are applied fairly and consistently and place more value on employee input.
On Sept. 19, the committee met with Halliday to discuss the recommendations. Halliday then responded to his committee’s report with his own employee survey and went on vacation.
Halliday can’t be blamed for DPS’s historical fiscal problems. Every state agency has been underfunded for years.
But the blame for DPS’ lingering leadership failures that were identified six months ago and the committee’s report that “low morale significantly affects the daily performance of employee duties” rests clearly with Halliday and no one else.
Maybe it’s time Brewer stepped in and fixed DPS’s leadership problem once and for all.
• Retired Mesa master police officer Bill Richardson lives in the East Valley and can be reached at bill.richardson@cox.net
RationalHuman posted at 12:48 pm on Thu, Oct 13, 2011.
I noticed there were no recomendations for a replacement.
I also wonder if Mr. Richardson is thinking of coming out of retirement.
And before anyone belittles my implication, does anyone have someome in mind who could do a better job?
AZJustice posted at 2:20 pm on Thu, Oct 13, 2011.
I don't think Mr. Richardson wrote this in an effort to further himself (as the next DPS Director) if that is what RationalHuman is implying. However, Mr. Richardson does share with the readers a serious problem which exists at DPS and needs the immediate attention of the Governor.
There are many law enforcement professionals (both current and retired) who could provide leadership at DPS, all of whom would be proud to serve as the DPS Director.
samkat posted at 5:51 pm on Thu, Oct 13, 2011.
Looking from afar and playing devils advocate, why were Richardson's talents wasted while he was a law enforcement officer? He was obviously a brilliant tactical strategist.
IceCat posted at 4:06 pm on Fri, Oct 14, 2011.
One thing is for certain, the Arizona DPS will never be mentioned in the same breath as the outstanding Highway Patrol/State Police's of California, Michigan and New York. [sad]
Leon Ceniceros posted at 3:23 pm on Sat, Oct 15, 2011.
I was shocked...yes, shocked to see that Sheriff Paul Babeu wasn't trashed once again by our erstwhile ...Richard III.
So the FOP and the new DPS Director don't get along....do we care ? Would some one tell the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) that the Director of DPS is not chosen by Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul or by the "acclaimation" of the DPS Rank and File. It's not a ..."popularity contest" you know...it's a "leadership position.
I guess the deputy director and assistant directors weren't ...FOP Union big shots....so the "long knives" came out and we are seeing a typical union "hachet job" .....well Folks, we have seen these ...Ides of March - Et Tu Brutae...attacks before and we will see them in the future too..."nothing is new under the Sun".
What I do find odd is that this "Union (FOP) vs Management (DPS)" is coming around now. Is it because the DPS has made ...Illegal Alien cross-Border incursions one of the Department's major focuses. Tons of Marijuana and hundreds of Illegal Aliens are now being seized and arrested by the current DPS ???
Is it because the DPS (under Gov. Jan Brewer's Administration) , the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department and the Pima County Sheriff's Department are working........"hand in glove together" ...for a change ???.
Somethings to think about after reading this column.....somethings to think about.