JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is asking a judge to reinstate the firing of a police officer who admitted to repeatedly being drunk while on duty, including one time at the firing range.
According to the petition, Officer Nicholas Gifford admitted that he drank almost an entire bottle of vodka one night, and drove his cruiser 30-miles to the firing range.
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The petition states that when other officers noticed his behavior and smelled the alcohol on him, they took away his gun, and he was given a breathalyzer test. His blood alcohol was reportedly .31, almost four times over the limit.
Gifford admitted he was drunk, the document states, and an Internal Affairs investigation began. When questioned by IA, Gifford admitted he’d come to work while intoxicated “five to ten times.”
At the conclusion of the IA investigation, Gifford was fired by Sheriff Mike Williams. Gifford appealed to the Civil Service Board, telling them that he’d gone through a six week in-patient treatment program for his alcoholism, and that he had been sober for two months.
Board members cited Gifford’s service to JSO and a lack of prior discipline, and the board reinstated him with a 90-day suspension, calling the termination “manifestly unjust.”
In its petition to the court, JSO said it has a policy of zero tolerance for any alcohol use by officers while driving on duty and has fired officers who had much less alcohol in their blood. JSO argues that the Civil Service Board’s ruling undermines its policy and was not based on the evidence.
As of publication, there was no hearing set in the court case.