An open records request made by news outlet New Jersey 101.5 is giving the public a first view of the extent to which police officers have themselves been brushing up against New Jersey’s DWI laws.
In at least one newly discovered case, reporting requirements imposed by counties seem to not have been properly followed.
That appears to be the case for a Union County Sheriff’s Office captain whose job it is to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by fellow cops.
The night of April 9, William Bukowski’s Chevrolet Tahoe swerved out of his lane of traffic and struck a parked Chevrolet Colorado, hitting it with enough force to send the Colorado across the street and onto a nearby lawn.
Bukowski told responding officers that he reacted when a deer ran in front of his car, but subsequent investigation revealed that his blood alcohol level was .22 percent, or almost three times the legal limit.
In Union County, a rule was implemented after a tragic 2015 case where a Linden police officer killed two men in a wrong-way drunk driving crash.
The rule requires that DWI and other misdemeanor charges incurred by police officers must be reported to prosecutors.
Bukowski, 47, was charged with DWI and careless driving, and is awaiting his case to be heard in Westfield Municipal Court.
Sheriff Joe Cryan, who is vying for a state Senate seat this fall, declined to comment on what he described as a personnel matter, and did not elaborate on whether Bukowski’s case had been properly forwarded to the local prosecutor’s office under the existing rule.
A DWI charge can have serious impacts in all areas of your life.
If you’ve been arrested for DWI in New Jersey, call Matthew Reisig today at 732-625-9660 and talk to an experienced DWI defense lawyer for free.
