We’ve seen police officers arrested on DUI charges before, but not while they were on the job. Yet it has come to light that two Oakland Police Department officers were arrested for DUI while they were on duty in 2023.

On Friday, Oaklandside broke the news that two Oakland Police Department officers had been arrested for DUI while on duty. Neither of these incidents was terribly recent — one was in June 2023, the other in October 2023. But news of both alleged on-duty DUI incidents is just being revealed now, as the Alameda County District Attorney’s office has recently filed charges in both cases.  

And the Chronicle has the Monday follow-up on that Alameda County DA Pamela Price just sent a letter on the matter to Oakland PD Chief Floyd Mitchell as well as the current acting Oakland PD Chief James Beerre. (Mitchell is currently out-of-the-office for mandatory state training, and Beere is acting chief until November 1.)

“As stewards of public safety, it is critical that we hold police officers to the highest standards,” Price’s letter said. “Having police officers intoxicated while on or off duty represents a clear and present danger to the officer and the public.”

The letter from Price did not detail the officers’ names, but Oaklandside’s report did.

That outlet notes that Officer Nathaniel Walker was arrested by California Highway Patrol officers on suspicion of DUI while he was working on June 30, 2023. A CHP officer wrote in their report that “I observed objective signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication.” The Chronicle adds that Walker’s blood alcohol content measured 0.15%, which is nearly double the legal limit.

Walker was charged with DUI on June 21, 2024 and his case is pending. Walker had previously been arrested for DUI just before 2 am on March 31, 2023 in San Leandro, and was accused of driving 97 mph in that incident. Walker is currently on administrative leave.

The other accused officer is OPD Officer Trevor Harley, who was arrested by his own colleagues on Oct. 8, 2023. Those colleagues said that they “observed [Harley] to have bloodshot watery eyes, staggered gait, and a strong odor of alcohol,” and that he had “admitted to drinking alcohol prior to driving.” The Chron adds that when he was charged last month, he was also given an “infraction for possession of an open container while driving.”

Harley has a plea hearing scheduled for October 31.    

Oaklandside also points out that Oakland PD Officer Officer Eduardo Arrizon is under investigation for an incident this past August where his truck was seen driving erratically before running into a stop sign. Arrizon claims his vehicle had been carjacked, though eyewitnesses say Arrizon was driving. He’d previously been charged in 2018 for driving under the influence at more than 100 miles per hour.  

Related: Oakland Gone Wild: DUI, Child Porn Charges For Police And Fire Department Officers [SFist]

Image: Oakland Police Department via Facebook