Top Police Official Cited For Dui Assistant Chief’s Blood Alcohol Measured At 0.22, Wsp Says

Spokane’s assistant police chief has promised to check himself into an alcohol-treatment program after being arrested early Sunday on suspicion of drunken driving.

A Washington State Patrol trooper stopped David Peffer about 3 a.m. for erratic driving on Dishman-Mica Road in the Spokane Valley.

Peffer took a breath test that measured his blood-alcohol level at 0.22 percent - more than twice the legal limit, according to the state patrol.

The 53-year-old Peffer told trooper Jeff Thoet he’d just left a St. Patrick’s Day party at a friend’s home, according to WSP Lt. Bruce Clark.

Peffer, who was alone in the Jeep Cherokee, cooperated with the trooper and “realized something wrong and unfortunate had happened,” Clark said.

After his arrest, Peffer was driven home by a Spokane Police Department captain who was called to the scene.

Typically, a person cited for DUI is booked into the county jail if a “responsible party” cannot be found to take the impaired driver home, troopers said.

“It was handled professionally all the way around, and he was treated as any other citizen would have been,” Clark said of the traffic stop.

The state patrol’s report will be sent to the prosecutor’s office today, Clark said.

Police Chief Terry Mangan was out of town Sunday, returning from an FBI training program in Western Washington.

In a prepared statement, Mangan said: “This is a most regrettable tragedy, not only for Dave Peffer but for the department and the community.”

Hinting at possible disciplinary action, Mangan said drunken driving is “unacceptable in any police officer and particularly so in the case of a command officer, and therefore must be addressed.”

Peffer has voluntarily placed himself on vacation and will enter an inpatient alcohol-treatment clinic, according to Mangan.

Normally an officer would be placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the department’s Office of Professional Standards.

The internal affairs unit will begin its investigation today , said City Manager Bill Pupo.

“Dave called me and was very emotional and very forthright about what happened,” Pupo said. “We talked about his future and his treatment.”

Peffer has been recently experiencing “personal family problems,” according to the Police Department’s prepared statement.

Pupo said Peffer has separated from his wife, but no divorce papers have been filed.

Peffer declined to comment Sunday.

The 29-year Police Department veteran worked his way up the ranks from patrol officer to detective. He held the rank of captain in January 1988, when Mangan promoted him to assistant chief.

Peffer was made responsible for administrative services within the department, including the Police Academy, the city-county records division, crime prevention and community relations, among others.

He has also been involved in community organizations, including United Way. He served as United Way campaign chairman in 1995.

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