Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement is moving forward under temporary managers after a bruising five-month internal investigation prompted the departures of the animal control manager, kennel manager and animal rescue coordinator.
The department has launched a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Lt. Mary Lou Respess, the animal control manager who retired in May after the investigation unearthed concerns about her performance as a supervisor. The position should be filled by August, Gwinnett police spokesman Jake Smith said. The other positions likely will be filled by the end of the year.
The animal control department and its approximately 30 employees last year handled 10,286 stray, neglected and abandoned animals, about 4,000 of which were reclaimed, adopted or sent to rescue groups. Animal control officers also issued 1,075 citations for offenses such as biting animals, nuisance barking, cruelty to animals or improper restraint of animals.
However, employee morale was low and workers were shaken up by an internal investigation that started in January, when a black employee filed a complaint alleging that there was an entrenched "culture of bigotry" at the shelter, according to investigation files obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via an open records request.
Numerous animal control officers who were questioned during the investigation said they felt the work environment was unprofessional. Respess was known to curse or publicly disparage employees in roll call meetings and some other employees reportedly made offensive jokes. The employees said supervisors played favorites with subordinates and that employees feared retaliation if they complained.
At the conclusion of the investigation, Respess was reassigned to another post. She promptly retired. Former day-shift supervisor Jason Cannon resigned in lieu of termination May 21. And rescue coordinator Chris Hughes resigned May 3 while the investigation was still pending.
Three other shelter employees faced disciplinary action for making or emailing racially tinged jokes. Dispatcher Kay Arrington and animal control officer Larry W. Merck received written reprimands. Night-shift supervisor Thomas S. Stephens received a three-day suspension.
Maj. Dan Bruno, interim animal control manager since March, said the care of animals never suffered. But he hopes the change in leadership will make the work environment better for employees.
"We've tried to make sure they know that type of conduct is unacceptable," Bruno said. "You have to respect each other because you have to work with each other every day. You leave politics and personal feelings at home."
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