Baltimore Interim Police Commissioner Gary Tuggle has fired an officer after he was charged with a DUI while on duty.
According to police, Southern District supervisors found Officer Heilman slumped behind the wheel of his running patrol car Tuesday afternoon on the 700 block of Washington Blvd.
They say that he was working three hours into his overtime shift of crime suppression in that area when he was found in his marked vehicle.
Supervisors at the scene immediately transported the officer to the Central District due to their suspicion that he was intoxicated.
Officer Heilman gave consent to a breathalyzer and blew a .22 Blood Alchohol Content (BAC).
He was cited and Interim Commissioner Tuggle terminated him on Wednesday.
“I looked at the totality of the circumstances involved in this case and I made the decision to terminate this officer immediately,” said Interim Commissioner Gary Tuggle. “His actions represented a safety issue for himself and the community. I simply won’t tolerate it.”
On Thursday, Baltimore Police spokesman TJ Smith spoke about the incident and said it was an embarrassment for the agency once again. While he is happy a decisive action was made against the offer, he said they are looking into adding a system in place so they could prevent future incidents like this.
