Report: Garden Grove Mayor's Son Called Unsafe Firefighter

GARDEN GROVE (AP) — A report says a Garden Grove firefighter has a criminal record and remains on the force even though he's been called unsafe.

He's also the mayor's son.

The Orange County Register says Jeremy Broadwater was hired in October despite having 10 misdemeanor arrests and convictions for assault, resisting arrest, public drunkenness and shoplifting. Those don't automatically disqualify a firefighter but experts say the job is highly competitive and it's unusual to hire someone with that record.

The Register says records show that Broadwater has been severely reprimanded for his performance, which included making potentially life-threatening mistakes on medical calls, and a captain called him unsafe and recommended his termination.

The paper says Broadwater, Mayor Bruce Broadwater and Fire Chief David Barlag didn't respond to requests for comment.

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