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March 30, 2011

Adult Protective Services employee resigns

Files document multiple complaints, violations

Tim Monzingo Jacksonville Daily Progress

JACKSONVILLE —

Steven Looney, a former Adult Protective Services (APS) employee, resigned amidst allegations of inappropriate conduct according to information recently received by the Daily Progress.

Looney was recommended for dismissal by the Jacksonville department supervisor in a memorandum making claims he had inflated travel-mileage reports, falsified case reports, billed the department for services clients didn't receive and, in one case, sexually harassed a client, according to documents received from the Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS), of which APS is a division.  

“I think that pretty much says that this supervisor was sending this to her program director and regional director asking them to review this for a recommendation for dismissal,” said DFPS Public Information Officer Shari Pulliam. “These are very serious, serious infractions.”

The document also reported that Looney was renting a house to an APS client, in violation of APS rules of ethical cnduct

“Her (an APS specialist's) report includes the fact that he knew that she (the client) had been an APS client and that he told her to request that APS purchase a stove for her to place in his rental property,” the memorandum states.

Looney was also accused of violating workplace policies by conducting personal business during company time.

On “more than one occasion,” the report states, Looney told tenants to deliver rent payments to the APS office, where they would be issued receipts by office personnel.

According to the document, Looney had been placed on a “Second Level Reminder,” a reprimand  for poor judgment, by the department on Feb. 4, 2004.

The Feb. 4, 2010, memo stated; “You are expected to be professional with all of your day to day contacts, you are expected to maintain the highest level of ethical standards and sound judgment in all interactions.

“You may not have any financial or other interest, engage in any business or professional activity, or incur any obligation that conflicts with the discharge of your duties.”

In an email, Pulliam stated she was not aware of any other cases similar to Looney's resulting in an employee resigning or being terminated from the Jacksonville office.

Pulliam said the reports of misconduct were a shock to the DPFS.

“We were very upset clients were involved in this,” she said. “All of it's serious, especially when you take a client you hope trusts you and you're trying to do a service for, and then you're doing an injustice like this. We take this very seriously.”

Looney, who worked for APS for nearly three years, starting on April 1, 2008, did not return multiple phone calls and Jacksonville APS personnel were not available for comment Monday. Looney resigned from APS in Dec. 2010.

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