By Maxine Bernstein
oregonlive.com
SALEM, Ore. — In a cryptic memo to staff, the director of the state’s public safety certification agency wrote that his two deputy directors were no longer employed by the agency and to be treated “as visitors moving forward.”
Brian Henson, deputy director of operations, and Staci Yutzie, deputy director of the training division, were both fired as of Aug. 30 after several months on paid leave, according to information obtained from a public records request by The Oregonian /OregonLive.
Separately, the agency’s defensive tactics coordinator Richard Daniel resigned while under investigation on Aug. 15, according to the public safety agency.
All three had been on paid leave while under investigation since May.
The Department of Public Safety Standards and Training certifies police officers, corrections officers, probation officers and private investigators in the state and runs basic and supervisory training academies for police officers at its 237-acre public safety academy campus.
Henson served as operations deputy director overseeing human resources, budget and procurement, facilities, payroll and accounting and student services, after serving as acting director. He’s worked at the agency since March 2014. Yutzie became deputy director overseeing the training division in August 2023, after working as training academy dean. She has been with the agency since 2013. Both were placed on paid leave on May 28.
At that time the agency’s leaders were put on leave, the state public safety agency’s spokesperson Sam Tenney said the state Department of Administrative Services’ human resources office was investigating the two deputy directors, and the public safety department’s human resources office was investigating Daniel.
After the two deputy directors were fired, the state’s administrative services department, in response to a records request seeking the investigative reports, referred The Oregonian /OregonLive back to the public safety agency, which declined to release any of the three investigations or say what led to the firing of the two deputy directors or Daniel’s departure while under investigation.
The public safety department declined to release any of the reports, citing “personnel discipline actions.” The Oregonian /OregonLive is appealing the denials.
In a memo to staff last month under the heading, “Leadership Change Announcement,” Phil Castle, director of the public safety department, wrote that the agency was “grateful to Brian and Staci for their service, and we wish them the best moving forward.”
Henson earned an annual salary of $174,588. Yetzi made $171,397. Daniel earned $117,864, according to the public safety agency.
Yutzie wrote on her LinkedIn page, “I will sorely miss the incredible training team that I have been so fortunate to work with over the years. Together, we built something we should all be proud of.” She said she’s going to take “some much-needed (stress-free) time off,” and do some traveling before working on her next move.
Bill Steele is now serving as the public safety agency’s interim deputy director, chief of staff and operations division director, and Chris Enquist is the interim training division director, according to Castle. The director wrote that he will be making permanent leadership changes in the coming weeks.
Castle, who was hired by the governor to lead the public safety agency in February 2023, wrote to staff that the agency “remains steadfast in its mission of pursuing excellence in training and accountability for public safety professionals.”
Gov. Tina Kotek’s press secretary Roxy Mayer said the governor does not comment on personnel matters.
The latest turmoil follows the abrupt resignation in April 2022 by Director Jerry Granderson, who had been placed on paid leave pending an investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice.
The state declined to release the investigation in response to a public records request but Granderson sent a 21-page scathing letter to state lawmakers a month after his resignation blasting an “entrenched faction” at the agency that he said fought his efforts to hold people accountable and to diversify the staff.
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