Two members of the Pinal County sheriff’s command staff are under investigation and have been placed on paid administrative leave.
Sheriff Paul Babeu described the allegations against the staffers as “serious in nature,” according to a news release. The incidents are not related.
The employees — Commander Joe McAuliffe and Lt. Kaye Dickson — were placed on paid leave on Wednesday.
“All staff and certainly command-level staff will be held accountable for their actions,” Babeu said in the news release. “I take all allegations regarding employee conduct very seriously.”
Few details were released about the allegations against the two.
McAuliffe is facing allegations of deception and failure to disclose pre-employment information, the release said.
He reportedly lied about experimenting with cocaine when applying for a job with the Chandler Police Department and later the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.
The deception was revealed during a new hire audit by the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training board in April.
McAuliffe was given a polygraph examination, which indicated deception about involvement with illegal drugs.
He took a second polygraph, which showed no deception when he admitted he had used marijuana and tried cocaine.
“He admitted that when he went to college he tried cocaine one time at a party by rubbing it on his gums,” a report from the AZ POST said. “He stated he had intentionally never mentioned it to any police agency he applied for. He acknowledged that he wasn’t truthful about this issue as he was embarrassed about it.”
In an unrelated incident, Dickson was placed on leave after a complaint was filed alleging criminal wrongdoing and internal policy violations.
The complaint was sent to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for investigation and recommendation.
Her employment status will be reviewed when the investigation is completed.
Information on the criminal wrongdoing was not available Thursday morning.
“I will weigh all the facts, once they are known, and make the right decision,” Babeu said. “No person is above the law and my staff is held to a higher standard of professionalism.”
