By Kasey Bubnash
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
NEW ORLEANS — Drunk on duty, a New Orleans police officer crashed his marked cruiser into several cars in the Warehouse District and as a result has been arrested and suspended, the Police Department said Wednesday.
Officer Denzel Millon was booked July 28 with driving while intoxicated, after the wreck while on patrol near South Peters and St. Joseph streets. He told his supervisor he drank alcohol before his shift, and a breath test put his blood alcohol concentration at 0.186% — more than double the limit allowed for driving in Louisiana, the Police Department said in a news release.
“As standard procedure, he has been reassigned pending further investigation,” Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said.
Millon was assigned to the Special Operations Division, which, among other duties, investigates drunk driving.
[PREVIOUS COVERAGE: New Orleans officers, leaving in droves, air grievances in exit interviews]
When asked why the Police Department waited six days to announce the arrest, Ferguson said: “Unless you ask, we don’t just run and tell you. We’re not required to do that. ... It’s just something that happened, and now we’re telling you about it.”
Four New Orleans police officers have sought relief from discipline related to driving or reporting for duty while intoxicated so far this year, according to city records. All appeals were denied but one, in the case of an officer who tested positive for marijuana after responding to a massive fire in 2021. His appeal of his subsequent termination was granted.
___
(c)2022 The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate