Several GPS citizens learned about bidding/financial improprieties that had happening within GPS.
For example, that if an administrator wanted a contract to go to a specific vendor that they had prearranged, they would ask that vendor to write up the RFP (request for proposals) using industry specific language and terms that only the choice vendor could provide. The vendor would then email over the RFP to the administrator and that document was used to “bid out” the work. Amazingly, only the choice vendor would be able to meet the terms and therefore always got the contract.
This is illegal under Arizona law, but there is no auditing process according to the Arizona Auditor General’s office to detect this kind of malfeasance, unless they receive a specific tip from someone.
In the case of GPS, when citizens discovered the financial improprieties and started asking for emails related to these transactions, the entire District email server was wiped clean. Even before that though, the IT staff told Gilbert Police that they were specifically forbidden to keep archives of emails. The administrators wanted no recoverable electronic record of these email transactions.