Mike Verdugo, the Hollywood cop who was fired by the department in 2009, has won a favorable ruling from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which during a meeting Thursday in Tampa heard the department's case for why Verdugo should lose his certification.
But keeping his police certification was the easy part. If Verdugo wants his old job in Hollywood, he'll have to win a civil suit that's set for trial in late November.
"Honestly, what I really want is to go back to Hollywood," says Verdugo. "Obviously, the command staff has a problem with me. But I've got no problem with the officers. I feel I could go back there with my head held high."
If he can't get the job in Hollywood, Verdugo says he'll apply to other police departments, and he's already had informal discussions with staff from Broward Sheriff's Office. Would another police department would be comfortable hiring someone who had had a brief role in a gay porn?
"It's hard to say," says Verdugo. "Some don't seem to care at all about that."
