Not all drunk driving incidents are created equal. This certainly applies to a Midland Park police officer who was arrested on DWI charges last month in an incident that can best be called unusual. The officer was arrested was known to be drunk earlier in the day--because he purposely became intoxicated in a class about DWI arrests taught by the New Jersey State Police.

The 31-year-old officer who serves with the Midland Park Police was arrested after an all-terrain vehicle he was driving flipped when he was attempting to make a turn. He sustained serious facial injuries and was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was to undergo surgery. Earlier that day, he had been at the Bergen County Police Academy, where he purposefully got drunk in order to demonstrate to fellow officers how a person's physical abilities change as alcohol is consumed.

The DWI class was intended to allow officers to see first-hand the effects of alcohol consumption on sobriety tests. The man was given controlled amounts of alcohol, and he was given a sobriety test both when he was sober and after he was drunk. A fellow officer drove him home after the class. The officer who was arrested, who has been on the force since 2006, was at the course as a volunteer and was not being compensated to attend, nor was he on duty. The ATV accident did not happen until hours later.

Despite the unique circumstances behind the case, the drunk driving charges of which the officer stands accused are serious. As he fights the accusations, he may wish to seek assistance from an attorney with experience in defending DWI charges.

Source: Midland Park Suburban News, "Midland Park cop arrested on DWI charges in Wyckoff," Jodi Weinberger, Dec. 16, 2011