Chief Admits Assistant Has Alcohol Problem Mangan Says Dave Peffer Kept Abuse Hidden For As Long As Two Years

The No. 2 man in the Spokane Police Department has had a drinking problem for as long as two years, Chief Terry Mangan said Monday.

But Assistant Chief Dave Peffer managed to hide the alcohol abuse from friends and colleagues until early Sunday, when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, Mangan said.

A Washington State Patrol trooper pulled Peffer over on Dishman-Mica Road in the Valley about 3 a.m. after spotting him weaving in his own lane and once crossing the center line by a tire’s width, WSP Lt. Bruce Clark said.

Troopers said a breath test showed Peffer’s blood-alcohol level at 0.22 percent, more than twice the legal limit.

Peffer told Trooper Jeff Thoet he was headed home after a party at a friend’s house. Thoet was named 1996 Trooper of the Year by the Spokane Valley Lions Club after making 90 drunken driving arrests.

After Peffer’s breath test, troopers turned him over to police Capt. Chuck Bown, the department’s senior officer who was on call that night.

Bown picked Peffer up in his police cruiser and drove him home, Mangan said. Peffer was not booked into jail.

“Due to overcrowding at the jail, we only book somebody for DUI if there is no other responsible party available to pick them up,” Clark said. “Right down the line, he was treated the same as anyone else.”

Mangan said Bown acted appropriately when he gave Peffer a ride home.

The 53-year-old Peffer began shopping Monday for a clinic where he can undergo in-patient treatment for alcoholism, Mangan said.

He is taking vacation time and could be off the job for some time.

“We were dismayed and disappointed that we didn’t recognize that Dave Peffer was having this problem,” Mangan said. “But Dave is a police officer. They’re very good at hiding their feelings.”

Mangan flew home Monday from an FBI training conference he’s coordinating in Western Washington to address his staff and the media in the wake of the incident.

At an afternoon news conference, he condemned Peffer’s “bad error in judgment.” Peffer did not attend the news conference or return a telephone call.

“It can’t be tolerated by any police officer,” Mangan said. “As an administrator, he has an additional obligation as a role model.”

The internal affairs unit has launched an investigation, and Peffer likely will face disciplinary action, Mangan said.

The chief said he would wait until that investigation and Peffer’s alcohol treatment is over before deciding how to punish the 28-year member of the force.

Mangan also said he and the department would support Peffer in his recovery.

“We’re embarrassed by the incident, but we’re not embarrassed by Dave Peffer,” he said. “Our main concern now is Dave Peffer the person. Everybody is less than perfect.”

The president of the Spokane County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving said Monday that Peffer of all people should know not to drink and drive.

“We’re disappointed and angered that a top-ranking police official doesn’t have the responsibility to get a designated driver,” MADD’s Lisa Rusaw said.

The assistant chief’s actions undermine the work of people who try to educate the public about the dangers of driving drunk, Rusaw said.

Rusaw said her organization would monitor the case to make sure Peffer is disciplined appropriately. She wouldn’t say what she would recommend.

“I’m not going to scream and yell and condemn him unless nothing’s done,” she said.

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