The highest-ranking female officer in the Port Authority Police Department has been suspended after being arrested on DWI charges in Chatham Township, officials said.
Susan Durett, 58, of Summit was charged with DWI on March 19, township Lt. William Behre said in a statement released Thursday.
Durett was suspended with pay, and has been assigned to administrative work with no gun or badge, according to John Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority.
Kelly said he did not know the length of the suspension.
Durett did not return messages left at her office and home.
A 30-year veteran of the Port Authority police, Durett has been the department's highest-ranking woman since 2004. She serves as an inspector, directly under assistant chief.
The arrest took place around 10 p.m. on March 19, when a motorist called police to report a possible intoxicated driver on Shunpike Road, Behre said. Police responded and located a car traveling very slowly, crossing several times over the center line of the road.
Police stopped Durett on Shunpike Road by Driftway Street, and determined she had been drinking alcoholic beverages, according to their release. After conducting field sobriety tests, officers placed Durett under arrest and brought her to police headquarters, where she was processed, charged and released pending an April 7 hearing in municipal court.
They did not release details of her blood-alcohol level. The legal limit in New Jersey is 0.08 percent.
A New Jersey native, Durett worked as an officer for the Union County Prosecutor's Office before joining the Port Authority police in 1980. In 2004, she was promoted from lieutenant to captain, commanding officer at the World Trade Center and Holland Tunnel. There had been only two previous female captains in the department, one of whom was killed in the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
14 comments:
This lady should be hold responsible for her actions, she should be leading by example. Lowering her rank , placing her in an alcohol facility , and have her bring the attendance to her superior to ensure that she is attending to the facility are examples of how I think this should be handle. Also , she should randomly be check .
Jonathan. R.
Well look at us, this lady clearly has made a lot of right choices in her life. Damn one mistake off with her head!!! ah1123
ag8628
There is absolutely no excuse for driving under the influence. Because of her high rank, her punishment should have been more severe. She should have been suspended without pay because with pay sounds like a paid vacation. As a result of her wreckless behavior she has now tainted her image. I am sure this is also an embarassment to her co-workers and she should have been made to give a public apology. I agree with Jonathan, she should be leading by examlpe. She is now an example of what not to do, which is thinking your title make you above the law.
I think she is getting what she deserves! There is no excuse for drunk driving no matter your prestige or rank. In fact she should be getting worse and here I thought that a 30 year veteran would understand what it meant to wear her uniform.
Eric Angel Collazo
8105
When you do right nobody remembers, when you do wrong nobody forgets......its just one bad decision on her part, as someone else mentioned. Come one discretion is needed here.......VAF2053
suspension w/o pay would have been a much well deserved punishment..hope she stays on desk duty til she retire,so she don't put anybody else's life in jeopardy-especially since she's an officer of the law!!!
Darnell I feel as officers police officers they should set the example for the people in the communties in which they serve. That clearly wasn't the case with the female officer caught driving under the influence. Now lets just suppose she wasn't a police officer, would should been punished differently? I guess general deterrance didn't play a factor when punishing the female officer. Why is it that when law abiding citizens are caught driving drunk, we get our driving privilages suspended, pay fines, and might be sent to jail. But, I guess the laws for police officers isn't the same as us "the people"
The laws are meant for everyone.. I think she should be held responsible for her actions. As a police officer one would thing that she knew better to drink and drive. I guest she wasn't to be like everybody else.
Jn 8831
It's very unfortunate that a women ranked high in a profession of criminal justice. Made one wrong mistake which put her whole career in jeopardy.
It is sad that we as humans have to learn from our mistakes,and sometimes those mistakes make or break our future.
SB8642
I think demoting her is a little too harsh. We all play rush and roulette in life, I'm sure somebody on the post drove home under the influence. You just didn't caught!...people make mistakes, suspension with pay and taking classes is good enough.
SJC 1687
I believed she gotten what she deserves. Drinking and driving is illegal and what if she would of killed somebody. Drunk driving has killed many people and you would think a Police Lieutenant would of had better judgment. How can u tell others not to drink and drive but you do it.
This seem to have gone to far she was not on duty. Let her be punish for the crime but not lost her job.
swright
she shouldn't lose her job because she is probably a great cop and never got in much trouble, but the law is the law.
s.d. 4954
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