Third Toledo cop arrested for DUI

DOWNTOWN TOLEDO - A third Toledo police officer has been arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated.

This time, though, Officer Shawn Parra, was off-duty at the time of his arrest. He was arraigned in Toledo Municipal Court on Monday. He plead not guilty.

Officer Parra was arrested Thanksgiving morning after he allegedly crashed his car and then left the scene.

"We expect officers and civilian employees to always be sober and alert and mentally capable of doing exactly what they are paid to do," said Mayor Carty Finkbeiner.

"We're working with extreme conditions with low manpower," added Dan Wagner, president of the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association. " It's not an excuse but it's a national problem with policing that officers turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism."

Police Chief Mike Navarre said Officer Parra, who is on vacation, will be punished within the department. He will more than likely face a suspension when Officer Parra returns from vacation.

Officer Parra is the third Toledo police officer to be arrested for DUI in the past six weeks. Officer James Breier, who plead not guilty, has been accused of drunk driving while on the job. He was arrested Oct. 23.

Officer Don Mitchell was charged with DUI Nov. 1 after a Toledo police sergeant observed Mitchell allegedly unable to walk in a straight line after getting out of his police cruiser during a previous shift. He was suspended without pay Nov. 2.

The arrest also follows a week after two other unnamed Toledo police officers tested positive for marijuana. The two officers who tested positive for marijuana have been relieved of duty, without pay, pending disciplinary action.

Chief Navarre said the five officers are facing the harshest of punishments, both administratively through his office and criminally through the court system. The police chief wants to send a message to the rest of the department that this type of behavior is not tolerated.

The city is proactive and offers officers and their families an outlet in the form of free psychological help to cope with the demands of the job.

"We try to intervene, get treatment, save that person, save their career," said Dr. John Lewton, who has worked with the Toledo Police Department for over 15 years.

Dr. Lawton has never seen this many officers in trouble at once and believes it's a fluke. He understands officers are under more stress now than ever.

"The TPD officers are a great group of men and women, he said. "They're very short handed because the city's budget crunch there not well equipped."