Source: Des Moines Register Contact: (515) 286-2511 Website: http://www.dmregister.com/ Pubdate: Tue, 28 Jul 98 Author: Frank Santiago - 6M A TOP IOWA DRUG AGENT FIRED FOR BREAKING RULES The details of Ken Arduser's transgressions are kept underwraps. Ken Arduser, a top drug agent for the Department of Public Safety, has been fired by Director Paul Wieck. Wieck confirmed Monday that the 28-year veteran and special agent in charge with the Division of Narcotics Enforcement was "dismissed for infractions of departmental rules and regulations" last week. Wieck, however, declined to be specific about the allegations. "It involves administrative type things, the way we expect officers, and for that matter supervisors to comport themselves," Wieck said. "We're not talking about any misappropriation of drugs or money or anything like that." Arduser was not available for comment. Wieck said Arduser was a supervisor and could ask the Employment Appeal Board to review the firing. It's not clear if those steps have been taken. The firing of Arduser was another in a series of developments that have troubled the agency. In the past two years, the agency has been shaken by incidents of state trooper violence, drastic changes in the medical examiner's office, and an unprecedented destruction of evidence at the Division of Criminal Investigation's crime lab. A state auditor's study found that the fire marshal's office, which is also part of the agency, was not making some important safety inspections. Critics have claimed that the agency has gotten too large and needs more oversight, but Wieck has defended the operation saying, "The quality of employees ... has never been better." Reporter Frank Santiago can be reached at (515) 284-8528 - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)