ACPS whistleblower: Employees engaging in inappropriate conduct, improper euthanizations of animals

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Strong allegations are now circulating involving the city's Animal Care and Protective Services.

The downtown shelter helped find more than 1,100 pets new homes at last weekend's Mega Adoption event.

Action News is learning new details about what lead up to the event. We obtained an email from a self-proclaimed whistleblower inside ACPS, which was sent to the mayor and city council.

In it, the employee claims the staff was weeks behind on vaccinations and were "in a panicked rush to get them caught up."
 
We went right to ACPS division chief looking for answers. She said city officials told her not to talk to us, so we called the city to find out why.
 
The lag in vaccinations wasn't the only concern. In that email, the whistleblower claims ACPS is euthanizing dogs without cause saying "we call them sick and aggressive when they're really not."

These accusations aren't sitting right with local dog owners.
 
"It disgusts me and my dog is like my kid almost," said Stephanie Hayse.
 
"If I found out it was true I'd be pretty devastated, that's a serious allegation to be made," said Jeff Morrison.
 
What's more, sexual misconduct is also at the center of this investigation. The whistleblower said two senior staff members were caught touching each other inappropriately in a dark room on the premises.
 
Our requests to the city to speak with staff on camera were denied.

WJAX