Father’s legacy lives on through son at Tustin Police Department

Tustin Police Officer Glenn Hollingshead is the fourth of his name.

But at the Tustin Police Department, he’s the second.

That’s because Hollingshead, who became a sworn officer in 2018, entered the agency not long after his father, Glenn Hollingshead III, left.

The elder Hollingshead retired from Tustin in 2017 after serving 27 years. But he stayed in law enforcement as an Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy at the Theo Lacy jail, where he still works. At the Tustin Police Department, he primarily served as a patrol officer, earning several lifesaving awards before retiring as a community impact officer.

Unfortunately, the father-son policeman duo, who had hoped to patrol the Tustin streets together as cops, narrowly missed their chance to do so.

Hollingshead, a Foothill High School alumnus whom his colleagues have nicknamed “G4,” was hired by Tustin in 2016. He was a good candidate, having learned from his father and inherently knowing the streets of Tustin, his hometown.

“I saw the lifestyle of the family of a Tustin cop,” Hollingshead said. “That was appealing. I wanted to do the same thing.”

It was so appealing, in fact, that Hollingshead only applied at one police department: Tustin.

“I wanted Tustin. I put all my eggs in one basket,” he said with a laugh.

But he didn’t only follow in his father’s footsteps in that way. Hollingshead graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. So did his dad.

“He knew what I was going through,” Hollingshead said of time studying as his father looked on. “He knew what I was learning in classes. He understood the criminology, not just the running, gunning and putting bad guys in jail.”

Hollingshead recalled his police academy graduation day. His father, wearing his sheriff’s deputy uniform, pinned the shield on his son’s shirt.

“It was a badge passing,” Hollingshead said. “Kind of like he was saying, ‘I did my time in Tustin. Now you can, too.’ We definitely took that moment in.”

The son still had to prove himself. That might’ve been even harder to do at Tustin, since most everyone already knew his name. But Hollingshead has thrived on his own merit, serving as a patrol officer, honor guard member, quality of life team member, and has volunteered to help the department develop a new unmanned air support program.

Though Hollingshead III and IV never patrolled together, they both currently work nights at their respective agencies. They text throughout their shifts and make it a habit to get lunch together. They still live close too, by only 10 minutes.

G4 hopes to take over his dad’s house, where he grew up. In fact, Hollingshead III grew up there too, because his grandfather (Hollingshead II) first bought it. When the three are together, the roll call sounds like this: Grandpa is Pop, the father is Glenn (or “Son Glenn” if Grandma is talking), and then there’s Glenny (aka Little Glenn).

But he probably prefers the G4 nickname.

Sometimes Hollingshead comes in contact with Tustin citizens who knew his father. Some of them are homeless, and they can recall how the elder Hollingshead lent a helping hand. He loved working with the community.

In true family tradition, clearly G4 does too.