9OYS Continuing Coverage
Porn popping up problems for city of Tucson employees
Employee resigns, others face suspensions for inappropriate behavior
Reporter: Marcelino Benito
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) -The city released new documents detailing an investigation into five Tucson Department of Transportation/Engineering Division employees. The findings are yet another black eye for the city of Tucson. Employees used city computers to watch porn, and it's been going on for years.
"It's week after week," Kozachik said. "If it's not golf employees, it's transportation employees doing neighbors yards, now we have workers surfing porn on city property."
Documents obtained by 9OYS detail a disturbing pattern of behavior since 2004. Employees watched adult-celebrity pornography multiple times a week at work. Supervisor Ralph Dominguez even admits to watching teen porn one time.
"Are these guys not thinking?" Kozachik said. "At some point you know you'll see your name in the paper or on the newscast, and you'll have to walk in the door and face your wife and kids and say guess what I did today."
What they did wasn't pretty. The city's investigation turned up a photo of three employees watching two topless women on the computer screen. In interviews, employees admit to circulating porn on their phones and computers. When TPD asks for one laptop in particular, forensic units discover hard drives had been wiped clean. Employees admit, it went on as long as it did due to a lack of supervision.
9OYS reporter Marcelino Benito asked Kozachik if this signals an underlying problem with how the city's managed. He replied, "I hope the message is that we have a new mayor and a new city manager. The mayor and council will not put up with this."
Dominguez resigned before being fired. Three employees received multiple day suspensions without pay. One other employee just received a written reprimand.
"They deserve the discipline coming to them," Kozachik said.
In addition to watching porn, the documents state that one employee also falsified his time sheet. City leaders say this behavior will not be tolerated. And if it's going on, they will find out.
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