A man identified as a Roseville police officer was pulled over by Ferndale Police on suspicion of being intoxicated on Nov. 9 at northbound Woodward Ave.
A supervisor was notified, who ordered the driver and his passenger, also suspected to be intoxicated, to be brought to the Ferndale Police Department and to later be driven home.
Ferndale Police was made aware of the incident on Nov. 17 and launched an internal investigation.
A criminal complaint was submitted against the driver for warrant for Operating Under the Influence; the case is currently active and ongoing.
“On the surface, this appears to be an example of poor decision making by one of our lieutenants,” Ferndale Police Chief Collins said. “As a police department, we take cases of operating and driving under the influence incredibly seriously. It’s a critical threat to public health and safety, and we as a department work regularly to educate the community to reduce instances of intoxicated driving.”
Collins reports that if the lieutenant's actions are found to be in violation of policy and procedure once the investigation is complete, the individual will face appropriate disciplinary measures.
He expects the investigation to be complete within the next week.
“Our jobs are complex and we trust our people to use sound judgment,” Collins said. “When somebody makes a call that is unsafe or not indicative of the department’s values and operations, we take that seriously and we act accordingly.”
Collins said within the next month, the entire department will go through an educational program about intoxicated driving. He says it is department protocol to regularly educate and retrain to ensure continual improvement.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that this kind of error isn’t made again,” Collins said.
