DOC officers; personnel system; covered

This bill amends the Arizona Revised Statutes to clarify that Department of Corrections officers fall under the state's general personnel system rather than a separate, protected status. It explicitly lists various correctional officer ranks, such as correctional sergeant and correctional officer I through IV, as "at-will" employees who are not covered by the state's civil service protections. Consequently, these officers will be subject to hiring, firing, and promotion based on performance and merit without the procedural safeguards typically afforded to civil servants. The legislation also reinforces that the state cannot offer employment contracts to these officers and that their status change is permanent once they are hired or promoted into these roles.