Another supervisor in the city Transportation Department has resigned and four others have been disciplined, this time for viewing pornography on city computers while on the job.
A city investigation revealed the practice had been going on for years.
It came to light in June when another employee in the engineering division reported them to city human-resources officials.
The investigation also revealed some of the employees were participating in a time-card scheme - colloquially referred to by employees as the "time in the drawer program" - and using unauthorized software on city computers to get rid of the evidence, according to city records.
Construction Inspection Supervisor Ralph Dominguez submitted his resignation on Sept. 7 to avoid being fired for misusing computers, failing to properly supervise his employees and other violations.
During the investigation, Dominguez admitted his city-owned laptop contained "adult hard-core pornography."
He said watching porn and showing pornographic images from emails and phones was a frequent practice among his subordinates, estimating they viewed it up to three times a week at work.
Investigators didn't find any actual porn on Dominguez's laptop, however. When they asked for it on June 15, Dominguez used unauthorized software to erase the contents, removing all but part of a web page that showed content dedicated to "adult/celebrity pornography."
Dominguez also confessed to overseeing the "time in the drawer program," in which he would maintain copies of his employees' overtime slips. Instead of overtime pay, he would falsify the records to show a 40-hour week and let them take time off later.
City Attorney Mike Rankin said although the second violation sounds like a minor violation, it is the sort of thing that can balloon into a bigger issue.
"It's important to us to track when people are or are not working," Rankin said. "When you get loose on (enforcing) that kind of stuff, it can lead to some of the problems we've seen recently."
The other four employees received punishments ranging from a written reprimand to a seven-day suspension.
Construction Inspector Marco Torres got a seven-day suspension; John David Stiffey a five-day suspension; Michael Bravin a five-day suspension, and Charlie Ruiz a written reprimand.
A key piece of evidence was a photo Stiffey took of Dominguez, Ruiz and Bravin huddled around a computer watching porn at the department's field office at 10 N. Park Ave. about eight years ago. Bravin and Ruiz initially admitted to investigators they were the two in the photo, but later denied it.
Gun violations
The porn investigation was one of two going on simultaneously in the engineering division.
About a month before the city opened its pornography inquiry, it received a report that an employee had a gun on city property.
Lead construction inspector Phil Sabin retired June 5 after being served with a notice of intent to terminate him.
On May 18, a Friday afternoon, Sabin was cleaning a new firearm in the office during work hours.
A co-worker returned to the Transportation Department field office to retrieve a forgotten lunchbox and upon seeing Sabin with his gun, reminded Sabin that firearms were prohibited on city property.
Sabin responded by telling the employee that he wasn't supposed to be there.
When the employee asked Sabin what he was doing with a gun, Sabin replied, "I have to clean it before I can fire it" and showed him the box it came in and its magazines, according to city documents.
After leaving the office, the employee informed management.
Bravin told investigators that plenty of employees have guns in their trucks and he once "witnessed a crossbow and arrow sold at work."
He wouldn't elaborate on which employee was involved, but did say the exchange occurred on a job site and was between a contractor and a city employee.
Then-interim Transportation Director Tony Paez said while it's unfortunate that these types of incidents continue to make the news, it's a result of City Manager Richard Miranda's zero-tolerance policy to clean up city government.
"The city manager has been making sure department heads hold their employees responsible for their actions," Paez said. "And when that happens, these kinds of things come to light.
Last week, a streets supervisor and others resigned or were fired after an investigation into the improper use of city resources.
Contact reporter Darren DaRonco at 573-4243 or ddaronco@azstarnet.com.
Please Wait…