Michael Verdugo Tells His Story to Press, Community
By Bob Kecskemety
Former Hollywood, Florida police officer, Michael Verdugo, spoke in front of an audience of about 50 people at the Pride Center/GLCC on Tuesday, August 10. He was accompanied by attorneys Norm Kent and George Castrataro, Christina Rodriguez and Jason Burns, two other former South Florida police officers who were met with the same fate as Verdugo, and former Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor and attorney Dean Trantalis. Verdugo was Hollywood’s first openly gay police officer.
Verdugo, 35, started his police career in 1999 in Lauderhill and transferred to the Hollywood Police Department in 2001where he worked with the fraud team seizing millions of dollars in laundered money. He also worked undercover and with the beach patrol.
He claims that when administrators found out he was gay, their attitude towards him changed. Once his homosexuality was discovered, he said he faced countless incidents of discrimination and harassment. He filed complaints with the police chief who removed Verdugo from the detective unit and sent his supervisor to sensitivity training because of the complaint.
In June 2008, Verdugo appeared as a contestant on HGTV’s “Design Star 3.” The show is a competition between interior designers with the winner receiving his or her own show on HGTV. While appearing on the show, a gay porn blog recognized Verdugo as having appeared in the gay bondage film “Rope Rituals.” Upon hearing of Verdugo’s brief porn past, they immediately fired the officer for not disclosing the job on his employment application for the police department.
Verdugo admits that he appeared in the film at the age of 22, but it was in 1996 before he started his police career. He believes he was actually fired because he was gay and filed complaints against his superiors.
“The agency ignored everything good I did for the community and turned their back on me,” stated Verdugo at the conference. “They actually didn’t turn their back on me when they learned about the film but on the day they learned I was gay. The film was just their way of dismissing me. The Hollywood Police Department stole my right to display a badge but they can not steal my right to help the community.”
He also said that the IRS does not consider a one-day job as a “real job.”
Verdugo has filed a court case to permit him to return to the Hollywood Police Department and for financial compensation. He also said the Hollywood Police Department is urging the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, FDLE, to strip the former officer of his police certification. The FDLE is expected to make their final determination on August 12.
George Castrataro, Verdugo’s attorney, stated that the LGBT community has made 250 years of progress: from being executed to possible marriage equality. Yet, Verdugo’s plight is still shared by thousands of people in the United States. Up to 20% of the U.S. workforce faces some form of discrimination. He further stated that Verdugo’s case is two-fold: first, his fight against the city of Hollywood for wrongful termination and second, his ability to maintain his certification as a police officer.
Attorney Norm Kent stated that Verdugo could “be out of this tomorrow if he would agree to drop his challenge. Mikey will not allow the city of Hollywood to intimidate abuse or sacrifice his rights at the altar of expedience to accommodate their needs.”
At the conference, two other former South Florida police officers claimed they faced the same type of anti-LGBT job discrimination. Christina Rodriquez, who also worked for the Hollywood Police Department said she was forced out of her job of 14 years after being hurt on duty. She has been placed on disability. While with the department she worked undercover with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the F.B.I. and SWAT.
Jason Burns was terminated from the Sunny Isles Police Department after being involved in a July 2009 traffic accident resulting in one fatality. Though Burns was cleared of wrong doing, he said that he was told to resign his position or face an internal affairs investigation that, with a 99% certainty, would not only lead to the termination of his job but would cause him to loose his police certification in the State of Florida. He was offered and accepted a settlement and walked away from his job.
Former Fort Lauderdale Vice Mayor Dean Trantalis stated that “although most people in Broward County are fair-minded, there are still pockets of terror that remain in our community.” Both he and Castrataro urged to community to write or e-mail Hollywood City Commissioners and encourage them to support Verdugo.
