2 PBSO members keep their jobs after DUI arrests, records show

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — All of us understand how dangerous driving under the influence is.

But two members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were arrested on DUI allegations. However, after brief suspensions, they are both still wearing the uniform.

CBS12 News got the details of these cases from two PBSO Internal Affairs reports.

A Sheriff’s Deputy and a PBSO Captain arrested for DUI in separate off-duty incidents pleaded guilty to lesser charges but are still on the job. We wanted to know why.

“Everybody from law enforcement to just our newest drivers need to remember never get behind the wheel impaired. Always call somebody. There’s always somebody to call,” said Larry Coggins, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Florida Regional Exec. Director.

Good advice from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Internal Affairs reports show two members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office were arrested for DUI in separate incidents and they have been able to keep their jobs.

“It’s extremely upsetting and it’s disturbing,” Coggins said. Besides being a MADD official, he’s also a former state trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol with 25 years’ experience in law enforcement.

Last June, PBSO Deputy Zaldy Cortez was arrested for DUI after a crash in his own vehicle, while off-duty. The arresting officer reported, quote: “his speech was slurred, and his eyes were watery, glassy and bloodshot.”

His breath alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit.

In the other case, a PBSO Captain, who was not named because he works undercover, was arrested for DUI in October after crashing into a barrier at a gas station more than 200 miles away from Palm Beach County. He was also off-duty at the time, but he was driving a PBSO vehicle.

“You got to go to classes, schools, and things like that; but, you keep your job” said John Kazanjian, President, Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association. “You don’t lose your job because you got in a DUI. It’s not an ending-career incident.”

Police union President John Kazanjian says if a law enforcement officer is arrested for DUI, on a first offense, they will typically be suspended.

If it happens again, they lose their state certification to work in law enforcement and then would be dismissed.

“You definitely will lose your job. Not like you might lose it. You will lose your job,” Kazanjian said.

Larry Coggins, with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, tells CBS12 News some law enforcement agencies do terminate officers arrested for DUI.

“We would really, really encourage every agency to take the approach many of the larger, progressive agencies have had around Florida and that is to have zero-tolerance policy when it comes to impaired drivers,” Coggins said.

“Everybody deserves a second chance,” said Kazanjian, and when asked if he believed the officers received special treatment, he replied, “absolutely not. Nothing that anybody else would ever get.”

PBSO said in a statement many factors are taken into account when determining disciplinary action, including the severity of the offense, any prior violations and overall work performance.

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office confirmed on a first offense DUI, with no other circumstances like injuries to another driver, a plea down to reckless driving is standard practice.