As the holiday season approaches, the annual campaigns about the dangers of impaired driving are soon to be everywhere. They remind us of the risks, but there is always an ironic twist when the very people tasked with enforcing these laws end up breaking them. This week, we’re highlighting three cases of police officers caught DUI driving.
For a deeper dive into the peculiarities of impaired driving cases, including unexpected defenses, explore our article, ‘Could Auto-Brewery Syndrome Be My Defense Against DUI Charges?‘
CN Police Officer Arrested for Drunk Driving
You might expect officers to set an example, especially while on duty. That wasn’t the case for a CN police officer in Manitoba. On November 6, 2024, the RCMP responded to reports of an erratic driver on Highway 1. Witnesses identified the vehicle as a marked police SUV and described its dangerous behavior on the road.
RCMP tracked the vehicle to a home in Brandon. There, they found a 42-year-old CN police officer who was on duty and reportedly over twice the legal limit for alcohol. CN police work for Canadian National Railway and have authority on public roads, but this incident highlights the potential risks of giving such powers to private companies.
The officer now faces charges and is scheduled to appear in court. It’s hard to reconcile how someone in this position could disregard their duty so blatantly.
Deputy Leaves Toddler Alone and Drives Drunk
In Tennessee, a deputy’s lapse in judgment turned a bad situation into an unthinkable one. On September 25, 2024, officers stopped a car driving erratically near Chattanooga. They found the driver, a corrections deputy, showing clear signs of intoxication.
When officers questioned her further, she admitted she had left her 15-month-old child at home. Deputies rushed to her residence and found the child safe but completely unattended. This led to her immediate termination and charges for child neglect, DUI, and other offences.
On wonders if she hadn’t been caught, would anyone have known about the child being left alone?
Read about the challenges in handling evidence in DUI cases in our detailed exploration, ‘The Variability Between Breath Readings and Blood Tests: Why It Matters in DUI Defence.‘
“Deputy of the Year” Directs Imaginary Traffic
The final story this week might seem more like a Mr. Bean sketch than a real event. Former “Deputy of the Year” Garrison Page was found standing in the middle of a road near a Georgia elementary school. He wasn’t just standing there; he was directing traffic that didn’t exist.
Page, who was off duty and wearing plain clothes, had driven his patrol car to the scene. Witnesses noted his slurred speech and unsteady movements, prompting officers to investigate. They found an open can of Mike’s Harder Lemonade in his car and suspected he had been drinking.
Page refused to take a breath test and was so uncooperative during his arrest that officers had to get a court order to draw his blood. This behavior is particularly troubling given his prior accolades, and it’s a stark reminder of how far some officers can fall from the standards they are meant to uphold.
Impaired driving isn’t limited to alcohol—learn how other substances might affect DUI charges in ‘Beyond Alcohol: This Study Shows Other Drugs Don’t Impact Driving As Expected.’
Impaired driving is a problem that affects everyone, including those meant to protect us. It’s a sobering reminder to make good choices this holiday season. When police officers are investigated for DUI, folks tend to make excuses for them. There is always the lurking excuse that their job is so stressful and somehow they should be forgiven to some extent. This ignores the fact that plenty of people have much more stressful jobs. A better approach in my view would be to recognize that alcoholism is a disease, a medical condition and stigmatizing people for a medical condition is not a valid approach to treatment.
Discover more surprising legal cases involving drivers in the ‘Weird and Wacky Wednesdays’ series, such as ‘Weird and Wacky Wednesdays: Volume 321.‘
