by Mark Smiley
Long Career: Captain Mike Gross served under six Glendale city managers during his 28 years at the Glendale Police Department. He is pictured here in 2019 at the retirement party for then-City Manager Jerry Peters.
Captain Mike Gross of the Glendale Police Department has retired from the force he called home for 28 years and has started a new career. Gross, who began his law enforcement career as a reserve officer in Glendale, was part of the first class to come out of that program in 1994. And on January 12, 1995, he was hired on full time.
Since he was a teenager, Gross wanted to be a police officer. “When I graduated from high school, I wasn’t old enough to be a police officer,” said Mike Gross. “I asked the people at the Sheriff’s office what I should do. They said to go into the military. I asked them which one was the hardest. They said the Marine Corps, and so I went to the Marine Corps office and signed up. I was injured in the Marine Corps and received an honorable medical discharge and went into the academy and the rest is history.”
After eight years on the force, Gross was promoted to lieutenant in 2003 and he was a key part of the Glendale Police Department changing its culture after some incidents of excessive force in the 1990s. Under then Police Chief Victor Ross, Gross started to introduce new concepts that were cutting edge at the time. “We started to change the culture of the police department,” said Gross. “Specifically, with how we use force. We completely overhauled our training program and we changed our policy. This is something I am especially proud of, the changing of the culture, ushering in scenario-based training that was ahead of its time. It’s common now, but in 2003 we were cutting edge.”
Also under his watch, the Glendale Police created a Workplace Violence training course for the businesses. “With so few single family homes [in Glendale], it makes sense for us to focus on workplace violence,” said Gross. “Workplace violence is one of the greatest threats to our personal safety in our society.”
Marine: Mike Gross entered the Marine Corps out of high school because he was too young to join a police department.
Rookie Cops: Mike Gross, left, Joe Silla, and Joe Haskins were young police officers coming up through the ranks in the mid-1990s.
Another notch in his long list of accomplishments was being an important voice on the development of Infinity Park, a multi-use complex built in 2007. “One of the things I love most about Glendale is that it is a small city and you have to wear a lot of hats,” said Gross. When the city started to build Infinity Park, it had a decision maker from each department meet every Wednesday, which Gross was a part of. “It was really neat to be part of that project and be able to have an opinion on things,” said Gross. “That was a unique experience to be part of and it was great to get to do that.”
In an interview with Glendale Mayor Mike Dunafon, the Mayor had many kind words to say about Gross, including calling him a “class act.” “We were fortunate to have Captain Gross as an integral part of our police force for 28 years,” said Mayor Dunafon. “He had an incredible ability to think through problems and juggle multiple projects that required a vast array of skill sets. His organizational skills were tremendous and I am confident he will utilize his many talents in his future endeavors.”
That future endeavor is already locked in, as Gross has accepted a position as Vice President of State, Local, and Education at NowVertical Group, a global technology firm. “We congratulate Mike for his well-deserved retirement from law enforcement,” said Dave Whitmire, President of NOW Solutions. “We are incredibly blessed to have Mike as an executive on our team. Mike brings decades of experience in law enforcement and smart policing to our team and will lead our technology-enabled services group to create critical tools for our first responders.”
Whitmire went on to address Gross’s leadership abilities. “Mike’s leadership has been, and will continue to be, instrumental in providing us valuable insights in protecting our nation’s critical infrastructure,” said Whitmire. “We are honored to have Mike and are humbled by his many years of service to his community. We look forward to his continued service to it in the commercial sector.”
Gross is one of the most highly decorated members of the Glendale Police Department. He was awarded the Medal of Valor and the Distinguished Service Medal. Gross speaks fondly of his nearly three decades of service in Glendale. “I am so thankful for the opportunities I was given in Glendale,” said Gross. “I was able to be a part of a bi
Highly Decorated: Mike Gross was one of the most decorated police officers in the history of the department. He is shown here receiving the Distinguished Service Medal from Glendale Police Chief Joe Haskins.
g project [Infinity Park] and see it be designed, built, and operated as a member of the police department.”
Although this highly decorated Police Captain was able to accomplish a lot in the Village of Glendale, he acknowledges that it is the support of his family that allowed him to be such an impactful contributor. “I would like to thank my wife Leslie and my daughters Maddie and Megan for always supporting me through all the holidays, birthdays, and special occasions that I missed,” said Gross. “All of the times that plans changed or were cancelled because I was called in to work.”
And it is this dedication to the Glendale Police Department and the citizens and businesses of Glendale that made Captain Mike Gross respected, honored, and valued. Gross can still be found at Infinity Park catching a rugby game from time to time. After all, it is a stadium he was a key member of creating 15 years ago. He enjoys coming back to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
