TEMPE, AZ — An entire unit inside the Tempe Police Department has left the job just months after concerns of unused new equipment, dated technology and mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.
The mismanagement includes hundreds of brand new laptops for officers that sat unused in boxes for years.
The ABC15 Investigators have learned that the department launched and completed an internal investigation into the former manager of the Technical Services Unit (TSU) after concerns were raised about how the unit was being run, projects that were not completed, and public funds that were wasted.
The TSU is essential for police officers as it helps service all technology needs, including assistance with police laptops, body cameras and updating other electronic equipment. TSU is also in charge of major projects that are essential to officers like updating their computers and programs.
This investigation comes after the ABC15 Investigators reported on another unit inside Tempe PD where technicians used expired chemicals and outdated equipment while processing crime scenes.
A 2022 internal affairs report into the former manager, Angelique Beltran, discovered failures in maintaining technology programs that have set the department behind in many areas.
A Tempe investigator wrote: "On more than one occasion, Manager Beltran’s action and/or inaction resulted in the loss of public funds."
Tempe officials found that projects went uncompleted for years, sometimes for nearly a decade.
One of the delayed projects has prevented Tempe PD from moving toward electronic reporting, a project that records show started in 2014.
The investigation found that the software program on laptops for officers inside the department had not been updated in seven years.
“The MDT [mobile data terminal] had not been updated in seven years and that would encompass three major updates.” the report states.
Without these updates, Tempe police have not been able to move forward with modern technology like mobile app VMobile, electronic accident reports, and electronic ticketing, according to records.
Tempe police officers currently still write accident reports by hand before they are mailed to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).
A spokesperson for ADOT tells us Tempe police are now testing out the electronic delivery of crash reports. Despite requests, Tempe police officials did not share a timeline on when all officers will move to this electronic format to report crashes.
ADOT said that approximately a third of law enforcement agencies submit paper reports.
“Paper delivery of these documents meets statutory requirements as well, and ADOT is set up to process that method of delivery,” ADOT officials told ABC15.
As for the electronic accidents and citations, investigators wrote: "E-citations and accidents will essentially be done before officers leave the scene and easy for supervisors to review."
There’s also a level of safety to these delays in Tempe, as there is a smartphone app called VMobile that would be helpful for officers, which was also found to not be completed.
“VMobile has many features that would save time for officers in the field. In times when staffing has been critical, every minute saved is helpful. VMobile also has a safety component that could be critical for officers in the field,” the investigation stated. “VMobile will connect to a cellphone and provide tracking in the event something happens to an officer while they are away from their vehicle and unable to call for help.”
Bob Brunansky spent more than three decades in law enforcement, including as a detective with the Phoenix Police Department. He says technology can be critical for patrol officers.
"If you have a computer that's not up to date, you're not going to get the same amount of information, you put junk in, you're going to get junk out," Brunansky explained.
The ABC15 Investigators have learned that the four people comprising the unit, including two officers, have all resigned from the police department since August of 2023.
"That tells me there's very poor management at Tempe Police Department," said Brunansky. "Whoever the chief is he needs to get a grip on that particular area and get it squared away."
Internal emails given to the ABC15 Investigators show that, at the end of January, staff were notified of changes.
“Due to recent... temporary staffing changes in TSU the office will not be staffed on a regular basis,” the email stated in part.
"The Technical Services Unit (TSU) is currently staffed with three team members who actively handle Tempe Police Department's technology needs on a daily basis. This unit has never stopped functioning, even amid staffing changes," a spokesperson wrote in a statement.
They added that, moving forward, Chief Kenneth McCoy will add experienced IT professionals.
“Tempe's men and women on the frontlines continue to do excellent police work and our support teams also must provide Tempe residents with the highest possible level of service,” the statement added.
Tempe police did not respond to our questions on if these are full-time employees in the unit, or if they are being taken from other departments.
‘WASTE’ OF PUBLIC FUNDS
The investigation revealed, along with the projects that were delayed or not completed, that public funds were mismanaged.
The ABC15 Investigators were given photos by a former officer that showed hundreds of laptops that sat unused in boxes for years.
The internal affairs investigation found that Beltran ordered 431 laptops. However, hundreds of them sat in storage without being deployed.
“It was revealed that bills were not paid promptly, and large amounts of money were wasted on inactive laptops,” investigators wrote.
The 2022 investigation also found that, in 2015, there were 135 printers totaling more than $66,000 that were ordered and not used as of when this report was written.
Along with the unused laptops, which cost nearly $4,000 each, investigators said the department was paying Verizon $40 for a data plan for two years for each of those computers.
“Ultimately, laptops sat unused for approximately two years while being charged $40 a month each resulting in an estimated cost of $83,000,” the investigation states.
The investigation ended with: “Public trust is essential in law enforcement. Making decisions such as these that waste public funds can damage the trust the public has for the police department.”
The ABC15 Investigators reached out to the former manager who resigned, but did not hear back by time of publication.
FULL STATEMENT FROM TEMPE POLICE:
“An internal investigation into the Technical Services Unit (TSU) Bureau Manager was initiated in January 2022, under the Tempe Police Department’s previous administration. The subject of the investigation resigned from Tempe Police Department in April 2022, before the conclusion of that investigation.
The investigation into her actions would likely have resulted in a [recommendation] to the former police chief that the Bureau Manager no longer be employed with Tempe Police Department.
The investigative report makes clear that this now-resigned former supervisor was a “roadblock.” The report indicates that the former TSU supervisor exhibited “a lack of sufficient competency or efficiency,” including failing for years to provide officers with necessary technology and failing to appropriately steward Tempe Police Department resources and tax dollars. The report also indicates that the TSU manager’s previous direct report failed to address concerns about this performance. That Assistant Chief has also left Tempe Police Department.
To be extremely clear, there is no room for this kind of incompetence in the Tempe Police Department or in our city’s government. Today’s leadership will not tolerate these kinds of inadequacies.
Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy began his leadership of the Tempe Police Department in June 2023, more than a year after this investigation began. Under his leadership, the TSU will continue to improve its performance, as will each unit of Tempe Police Department. We will work every single day to make Tempe Police one of the premier police departments in the state and the nation."
RESPONSE FROM TEMPE CITY COUNCIL
The ABC15 Investigators reached out to Tempe’s mayor and all the city council members for comment on this investigation.
The mayor did not respond directly to ABC15, but officials with the city released a statement on behalf of the members of the Tempe City Council, “'The City of Tempe strives to provide the highest level of public safety and give the best value for tax dollars to its residents and visitors. What happened in the past under previous police chiefs and city leadership is unacceptable. The first time Tempe City Council was notified regarding any of the issues in the Technical Services Unit was Jan. 30, 2024. Neither previous city managers nor previous police chiefs had informed Councilmembers. We fully support the progress and improvements that Chief Kenneth McCoy is making with Tempe Police Department.”
City leadership also told the ABC15 Investigators that Chief McCoy has already made progress towards solving “issues of previous leadership.”
In an email, the city provided an update on their technology:
- Versaterm is fully up to date and operating smoothly.
- More than 25 officers are using E-Accident and our community responders and traffic units are training in its use now. More than 100 E-Accident forms have been submitted to ADOT recently. The program will be fully implemented in April.
- A group of officers are in training for the use of VMobile with expectation of all officers having access in April.
- Tempe’s reporting to the National Violent Death Reporting System is current.
- Two new IT professionals are being hired to join TSU. A job opening is live on Tempe.gov/jobs right now.
“This quick action and progress is due to the leadership of Chief McCoy. He is bringing together the expertise of IT professionals and sworn officers for the best future outcomes,” the email stated. “The conditions that caused the issues with TSU no longer exist in Tempe Police Department.”
Have a tip for the ABC15 Investigators? Email Investigator Nicole Grigg at nicole.grigg@abc15.com
