Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik has been accused of many things, but one thing that he is not is disloyal. Whether protecting the likes of mass shooter Jared Loughner, a son of a Pima County employee, or “finding” jobs for his long time friends, Dupnik is – if nothing else – loyal.
Nowhere is that loyalty more evident than on the Pima County Sheriff’s payroll. A recent article in the Arizona Daily Independent regarding Dupnik’s practices, or lack thereof, since announcing his retirement, generated a lot of comments. One commenter, who listed the names and duties of Dupnik’s double-dipping friends, forced further investigation. For the most part, according to sources, his comment was very accurate.
Earlier in her tenure, Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller was the first to focus attention on the double-dipping Department. She pointed out the fact that while deputies were woefully underpaid, Dupnik had a high number of highly paid administrators under him.
According to the commenter and other sources, the Department’s Dupnik-friendly chiefs have been re-hired after retirement and placed into various positions. Dupnik has gone so far as to cut a supervisory position, in which hard-working under-paid deputies might ascend to, and placed a retired friend, with the acquiescence of the majority on the Board of Supervisors.
The following comments left on the Arizona Daily Independent article have been confirmed:
Ex-Bureau Chief Heaney was earning over $140,000 a year. After he retired with $100,000 plus annual pension and a Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP), he was hired back at $110,312.38 a year as a Program Manager, in the Civil Division.
Ex-Bureau Chief Gangnepain was earning over $140,000 a year. After he retired with over a $100,000 annual pension and a DROP, he was hired back at $104,998.40 a year as a Program Director advising Dupnik.
Ex-Bureau Chief Kastigar was earning over $140,000 a year. After he retired with over a $100,000 a year pension and a DROP, he was hired back at $108,139.82 a year as a Program Manager, in Communications.
As reported in the article, Emails Reveal Absentee Pima County Sheriff, Dupnik’s good friend, Richard Boykin, is tucked away in the Department earning $99,444.38 a year. According to sources, no one really knows for sure what Boykin does.
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