Craig Harris

The Republic | azcentral.com

State troopers confiscate weapons at state welfare agency after director is dismissed.

Former DES Director Tim Jeffries said he was increasing the police force because of security concerns.

State troopers confiscated about 50 handguns and 80,000 rounds of ammunition stored in the Arizona Department of Economic Security's basement shortly after Director Tim Jeffries — who had expanded the agency's armed police force — was forced to resign and escorted from the building, the interim director told The Arizona Republic on Wednesday.

Department of Public Safety officers obtained the firearms around noon the day before Thanksgiving, within an hour after Jeffries met with officials from Gov. Doug Ducey's Office and was escorted from DES headquarters near the Capitol. The weapons were in a locked room.

Troopers then followed Jeffries to his Scottsdale home, where they confiscated a handgun he had purchased for himself with public funds, according to Interim DES Director Henry Darwin.

Darwin on Wednesday told The Republic that the Governor's Office became aware of the cache of weapons around the time Jeffries was being terminated with five other DES employees closely tied to the ex-director. The Department of Public Safety will assume control of the DES police force, which had 44 members at the end of November.

Jeffries: Cache needed for protection

Jeffries, contacted by phone, said he was unaware of the specific number of guns and ammunition at DES, but he said it was not surprising considering the agency was looking to add more officers.

He said DES needed to provide protection to its employees and Arizonans whom the agency served, especially following a terrorist attack last year on a San Bernardino, Calif., social services center in which 14 people were killed.

"These jihadists in San Bernardino attacked a social service center for the developmentally disabled. They will go anywhere," Jeffries said. "As a director, one of my highest priorities was to protect my people and my clients. I stand by that with pride."

Jeffries added he carried a handgun because of death threats.

"So, leveraging my Second Amendment right to make sure my family was protected was prudent," Jeffries said.

Darwin said DPS officers were called to assist with the firings because DES knew at least two of those DES employees regularly carried a firearm and wanted security on hand. State police then discovered that four top managers to be terminated — Jeffries, Chief of Staff Clark Collier (a former police officer), Inspector General Juan Arcellana and Security Operations Administrator Charles Loftus — all had state-purchased semiautomatic handguns.

All of their weapons were confiscated without incident, Darwin said.

"If you know someone has a weapon and you give them bad news, you want DPS there," Darwin said.

Darwin did not know how much was spent on the ammunition or weapons. He said no decision has been made as to whether a criminal investigation will occur.

Darwin also added that he has rescinded a no-bid consulting contract Jeffries awarded to a friend, and state human-resource officials are actively reviewing whether some DES workers fired under Jeffries should be rehired.

Ducey appointed Jeffries last year but forced him to resign following a series of reports in The Republic about hundreds of employees who were fired after being persuaded to relinquish their state job protections, and about a party where Jeffries bought alcohol for employees that some said occurred during work hours.

Security at DES

The Republic this week became aware of the weapons at DES after multiple sources told the newspaper that ammunition had been reported missing. Darwin, who also is the governor's chief operating officer, agreed to an interview and provided additional details on last week's firings.

Darwin said Loftus has assured him that no ammunition is missing, but he is having DPS investigate those claims as well as making sure there is an accurate accounting of all DES-purchased weapons and ammunition under Jeffries.

After taking office, Jeffries put armed guards in the DES lobby and outside its parking garage as well as field offices for security purposes. Jeffries said that before he took office, the agency used contract security officers in its field offices.

The agency put some of those officers in special light-brown uniforms with pants that resemble military fatigues. The phrase Ditat Deus, Arizona's motto that means "God enriches," is on one shirt sleeve. The uniforms also had a yellow smiley face, a symbol Jeffries had incorporated and used for employee T-shirts and other promotional DES items, on the back between the shoulder blades.

Of the 44 officers, 13 have Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board certification, according to DES spokeswoman Tasya Peterson. Another 28 armed security officers, who also carry semi-automatic pistols, were not certified officers but were licensed through DPS and passed personnel background checks, she said. The agency also had three retired police officers who carry guns.

Darwin said the 50 or so seized handguns were Glocks and Berettas, and the 80,000 rounds of ammunition were for various caliber of weapons.

Darwin said he was told by those fired last week that the weapons were going to be used to arm 15 additional officers at DES. Darwin said he has rescinded the job offers.

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Jeffries said the additional officers were being hired because it was less expensive than hiring contract security officers.

Darwin also said DPS will determine how many officers are needed for the social welfare agency, which provides food stamps, housing and cash assistance to the poor.

Loftus could not be reached.

"We are working with the Department of Public Safety on all security issues," the governor said Tuesday. "I don't want to talk beyond that."

Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves declined to answer questions.

A representative for the Attorney General's Office was shocked that DES had dozens of armed guards and weapons.

"Why did DES have 80,000 rounds of ammunition in the first place, and why do they have a police force," said Ryan Anderson, a spokesman for Attorney General Mark Brnovich.

Darwin said a few of the state's 35 agencies, such as gaming, revenue and liquor, have sworn officers. However, he said he was surprised with the size of the DES force and the weapons on hand. He said DPS will assess the appropriate size and need for Economic Security's police force.

Tumult at the top

Jeffries is the fifth agency head forced out by the governor, and the third Ducey appointee this year tossed out following questionable behavior. Jeffries was the second-highest paid agency director, making almost $215,250 annually.

Jeffries gained notoriety in October 2015 after firing 72 managers and lower-level staff he called "bullies, liars and bad actors."

Ducey forced out Jeffries on the heels of stories in The Republic and on azcentral.com about the mass firings at DES, the staff party at a Nogales restaurant at which Jeffries paid for alcohol for employees, and allegations that Jeffries created a no-hire list to keep his enemies from getting other state jobs after being fired at the 7,000-plus-employee DES. Jeffries has denied any wrongdoing.

Jeffries, before resigning, was praised by social-service agencies and some employees who said they appreciated his approach to transforming DES into a more businesslike organization.

Roberts: DES director "exited" himself

However, critics — especially those fired without cause — contended Jeffries went too far, targeting for dismissal women, minorities, older workers, gays and some with terminal illnesses. Jeffries said no specific groups of employees were targeted, and he said that the nearly 500 DES employees who were terminated “exited themselves.”

The Republic found that about half of those fired at DES had received merit raises for outstanding performance before being terminated. After the newspaper reported on the firings, Ducey moved to limit Jeffries' ability to fire employees, putting an administrator from another agency in charge of the decisions.

Critics also said Jeffries pushed the limits by having his public-relations staff produce "mojo" videos of him that he sent frequently via email to DES employees, whose computers were programmed to not function until the entire video was watched, according to DES employees and a contractor who said he programmed the video player. He also sent out emails to DES staff that promoted his faith and political views.

Reach the reporter at craig.harris@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8478.