Police official finally ousted

Gretchen Hoffman

GLENDALE -- Nine months after he was fired as Glendale Police

Department spokesman, Chahe Keuroghelian is finally off the city payroll.

Keuroghelian, a civilian police employee who has been on paid leave

since August 2000, was served his final notice last week, Assistant City

Manager Bob McFall said. Keuroghelian cleaned out his desk on Friday.

Keuroghelian was placed on administrative leave in 2000 after an

investigation started into alleged fraudulent business practices at the

Keuroghelian Education Center.

The investigation continued until July, when he was fired. He

announced in September that he would appeal that decision. Keuroghelian

received notice late last week that his termination would be upheld.

Until that time, Keuroghelian continued to collect his salary of more

than $4,200 per month -- ultimately totaling somewhere in the ballpark of

$80,000.

Neither Keuroghelian nor his attorney could be reached for comment on

Monday.

“When the action is significant and when the case is complex, it’s not

unusual for it to take this amount of time,” McFall said.

McFall, who served as the hearing officer for the appeal and made the

final decision to terminate Keuroghelian, declined to comment further on

why Keuroghelian was fired. He had been the Glendale Police spokesman

since 1992.

Glendale Police declined to comment.

Keuroghelian was convicted in March 2000 of brandishing a handgun at

his wife in 1999. They are now divorced.

QUESTION: How do you feel about the way City Hall and the Glendale

Police Department handled Chahe Keuroghelian’s termination?