In particular, he said he was seeking to comply with a directive from Gov. Mike Parson to find ways to make the agency “more efficient and accountable.”

He said the agency’s workforce is “fraught with much waste because of a bloated patrol gaming division and the use of highly paid law enforcement officers in positions more suited for civilian technicians.”

For example, he said fringe benefits for patrol officers are much higher than civilian employees. And, he said there are “excessive vehicle expenditures that are not needed for the job they perform.”

“I sense that much of the criticism of my management is in direct response to my effort to seek accountability for these expenses,” Grothaus wrote.

Grothaus, who is paid an estimated $128,000 annually, took over as the seventh executive director after the retirement of William “Bill” Seibert.

He is a former supervisory agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and served in St. Louis, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.

His career spans 44 years and includes both Army and Air Force military service from 1976 until 2017 when he retired from the United States Army Reserve.