Firing of one Glendale police officer for Vegas joyride reversed

Civil Service commissioners on Wednesday voted to reinstate one of three Glendale police officers who were fired for allegedly taking a patrol car on a joyride to Las Vegas.

Commissioners voted 4 to 1 to reinstate Patrick Hamblin as a Glendale police officer, city spokesman Tom Lorenz said. A 90-day work suspension without pay would still be enforced, Lorenz told the Glendale News-Press.

"We support the findings of the Civil Service Commission," Lorenz said. "It's their job to make these determinations …. It's obvious in their findings; they do uphold very strong standards for employees in the city of Glendale."

Hamblin, who stopped working April 1, will also be reduced from a Step 6 police classification to Step 3 officer, Lorenz said. Step 1 is reserved for probationary officers while Step 6 is for the highest performers.

Commissioners voted 3 to 2 to uphold decisions made to drop two other officers — Fernando Salmeron and Mike Ullerich — from the department, Lorenz said.

Salmeron and Ullerich were no longer working for the department as of March 29.

Sources who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the investigation have confirmed that the officers took the patrol car to Las Vegas, but officials have refused to discuss the case.

The commission is set to officially issue its findings on Oct. 12.

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-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News