PHOENIX — After the murders of three vulnerable children who were all known to the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs said she is committed to finding answers and fixing problems at the agency.
“Hearing about these vulnerable children, for goodness’ sake, and hearing what they went through, it sounds like a horror film,” Hobbs said in an interview on KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Outspoken with Bruce and Gaydos on Tuesday. “The state, as I’ve said many times, we have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable Arizonans. And when something goes wrong, we have a responsibility to fix that.”
DCS has come under fire after the murders of 14-year-old Emily Pike, 16-year-old Zariah Dodd and 10-year-old Rebekah Baptiste this year.
All three children had prior contact with DCS.
The governor said the state is going through a “deep dive” with DCS, where they are looking to identify all areas that could be changed in order to avoid cases like Pike, Dodd and Baptiste.
Some of the areas Hobbs has already identified as needing improvement are technology and funding.
“I think that the entire system is very big and there are a lot of antiquated technologies that are there simply because the state doesn’t do a good job of funding new technology, updated technology,” Hobbs said. “And I think it’s too soon to say specifically what happened in these situations, but I can assure Arizonans that we are working to get to the bottom of it and we are going to look at all of the changes that should be made.”
Hobbs added that she is committed to working with legislators, like those on the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on the Department of Child Safety, to find answers.
The committee is scheduled to have its first stakeholder hearing on Wednesday.
Gov. Katie Hobbs not considering firing DCS director
One of the changes Hobbs is not currently considering is firing DCS Director Kathryn Ptak, saying that would be a “knee-jerk response” that she does not believe will help fix the problem and could lead to DCS employees fearing for their jobs.
“Are there things we can do to make the agency work better? Absolutely,” Hobbs said. “I’m committed to ensuring that we have accountability and transparency and I know that Director Ptak is as well. She cares deeply about the agency. She’s been there for years and I know she cares a lot about the Arizonans that the agency has the responsibility to keep safe and we’re going to work together to make sure we’re doing that.”
DCS director speaks about investigation into department’s response to Rebekah Baptiste’s death
Ptak spoke about the cases of Pike, Dodd and Baptiste in an interview with ABC15, saying the department is “taking this very seriously.”
The director said DCS is reviewing Baptiste’s entire case, which spans 10 years and ended with her death in July. Her father, Richard Baptiste, and his girlfriend, Anicia Wood, are facing first-degree murder, child abuse and kidnapping charges in connection with Rebecca Baptiste’s death.
“They’re listening to every hotline call, and they discover what we call ‘learning points.’ So, I can look at the history in this case. And I can tell you I have some questions, right, about things that have happened,” Ptak told the TV station.
Hobbs said this process will take time and did not have a firm timetable for when an investigation into the issues at DCS would be complete.
“It is not unreasonable for people to be saying we want answers today,” Hobbs said. “We just don’t have them.
“We have to take a broader approach and look at the systems and how they worked or didn’t work or maybe work in some places but don’t in others and and fix that in a holistic way. If we just continually respond in a knee-jerk manner, we’re not going to get it right. And I’m committed to making sure that we get it right.”
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