TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs is now weighing in on a story KGUN 9 first reported last week involving men who neighbors believed were posing as Tucson Electric Power (TEP) workers in a neighborhood on Tucson's Southside. According to the neighbors, the men initially presented themselves as workers with the utility company, but one of the men eventually shared he was a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent.
Gov. Hobbs attended an event Wednesday where a Phoenix reporter asked if her office can regulate impersonations by HSI agents, specifically with utility companies.
“I think that's very concerning and we're looking into ways to address that," responded Gov. Hobbs.
Scripps News Group Phoenix attended the event where she was also asked about any state laws already in place surrounding regulations.
"We're looking into that," she added.
KGUN 9 also requested comment from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who declined to comment. Attorney General Mayes' office has not yet answered whether there is an investigation.
Tucson Electric Power shared a statement to their website following KGUN 9's most recent report.
Tucson Electric Power objects to any misrepresentation by anyone who falsely claims to be a TEP employee or representative. We have advised customers to look for the TEP logo on our employees’ clothing, safety equipment and vehicle. Our employees also are trained to produce their company identification badge for inspection by anyone seeking to confirm their employment or affiliation.
Any misrepresentation can create problems for TEP workers who do sometimes need access to private property to read meters, to locate and mark underground electrical facilities, to maintain or replace facilities, or for other reasons related to our service.
In response to media reports, TEP has contacted Homeland Security Investigations to request that its agents not impersonate TEP workers. TEP does not know if this activity occurred but has made clear that it is unauthorized.
TEP also confirmed there were workers in the area on May 28, but had uniforms and clearly marked vehicles.
Christine Cariño, the neighbor and voice behind the video confronting the men, shared in a recent interview that she was trying to explain to TEP woke what was going on.
“So I went to ask them, 'Hey, this incident just happened,' and TEP told me, 'This is what I look like. This is my vehicle.' So they were definitely impersonating. ”
TEP is reminding customers to look out for the TEP logo.
KGUN 9 did reach out to Homeland Security again, but their spokesperson has not answered any of our questions other than sharing that there's an ongoing investigation.
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Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
