U officer fired for DUI
By: Ana Breton
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News
A former officer at the U Police Department had his peace officer certification suspended for the next three years after he was arrested for drunken driving.
Officer Tory Park's certification was suspended by the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which establishes and upholds rules of conduct for the state's certified peace officers. Officers are given the certification after they graduate from a police academy and keep their accreditation by completing 40 hours of training in their department and follow POST council standards.
The council suspended Park's certification during its quarterly conference during the weekend. There, the council suspended the certifications of 29 other officers in Utah. Park was the only officer punished from a university police department in the state.
Lt. Steve Winward, POST bureau chief of investigations said Park's certification was suspended after the council found that he had been arrested for driving under the influence last year. Winward said Park was arrested on May 26 after he crashed his personal vehicle into a road sign when he was off duty. Winward said there was not enough evidence to convict him in court for DUI, but that Park plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.
"They took the alcohol charges out, because it would have been hard to prove the case to determine if he drank before or during the accident," Winward said.
Capt. Lynn Mitchell at the U Police Department said that Park was terminated and quickly replaced after he was arrested.
"It's disheartening. We arrest people who violate laws, so we don't want our people to be doing those kinds of things, for crying out loud," Mitchell said. "We arrest people for DUI, but that doesn't give us permission to do it ourselves."
Although Mitchell declined to comment about the specific POST case because it involved disciplinary action, he said that Park is not the first officer to have a peace officer certification suspended at the police department.
Officer Tory Park's certification was suspended by the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which establishes and upholds rules of conduct for the state's certified peace officers. Officers are given the certification after they graduate from a police academy and keep their accreditation by completing 40 hours of training in their department and follow POST council standards.
The council suspended Park's certification during its quarterly conference during the weekend. There, the council suspended the certifications of 29 other officers in Utah. Park was the only officer punished from a university police department in the state.
Lt. Steve Winward, POST bureau chief of investigations said Park's certification was suspended after the council found that he had been arrested for driving under the influence last year. Winward said Park was arrested on May 26 after he crashed his personal vehicle into a road sign when he was off duty. Winward said there was not enough evidence to convict him in court for DUI, but that Park plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.
"They took the alcohol charges out, because it would have been hard to prove the case to determine if he drank before or during the accident," Winward said.
Capt. Lynn Mitchell at the U Police Department said that Park was terminated and quickly replaced after he was arrested.
"It's disheartening. We arrest people who violate laws, so we don't want our people to be doing those kinds of things, for crying out loud," Mitchell said. "We arrest people for DUI, but that doesn't give us permission to do it ourselves."
Although Mitchell declined to comment about the specific POST case because it involved disciplinary action, he said that Park is not the first officer to have a peace officer certification suspended at the police department.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
John Ferguson
posted 3/26/08 @ 9:28 AM MST
The title of this article is quite misleading.
"Winward said there was not enough evidence to convict him in court for DUI, but that Park plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. (Continued…)
You smell sumthin?
posted 3/26/08 @ 11:06 AM MST
Bacon perhaps?
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