He gave the department 21 years – they gave him no hearing, no case file, and no appeal
A fired Arizona police commander is forcing courts to answer a question every public-sector HR leader should be watching closely.
On April 3, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit certified three questions to the Arizona Supreme Court in a case that could determine whether changes to state employment protection laws can reach back and undo at-will agreements that were perfectly lawful when they were signed.
Brian Blunt spent roughly 21 years with the Town of Gilbert Police Department, working his way up from patrol officer to detective to sergeant to lieutenant. In 2021, the Town promoted him to police commander. With that promotion came an employment agreement. The agreement classified Blunt as an at-will employee, meaning either side could end the relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice.
Two years later, the Town conducted an employee engagement survey. What followed was an outside human resources firm being brought in to investigate feedback about Blunt. By May 2023, the Town had notified him that it was looking into allegations that he had made unprofessional, offensive, and harassing statements to other employees. Blunt reportedly agreed to sit for an interview with the investigator, but only if he could review the underlying materials first. The Town declined, and the interview never happened.
The Town terminated Blunt in September 2023....
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