LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Police Department has tightened its policy on off-duty officers drinking alcohol while armed, making it a violation for an officer to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.04% or higher.
The civilian Police Commission, which oversees the department, voted Tuesday in favor of the policy. The change prohibits officers who are carrying firearms while off duty from drinking "to the extent that it causes impairment."
The policy, however, limits who must submit to a test of their blood-alcohol level. Only officers "who exhibit objective symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol, or where there is reasonable and articulable suspicion that the employee has consumed an alcoholic beverage, shall be required to submit to testing," the policy reads.
