# Drinking was OK at cop shop



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*Drunk-driving officer got wasted with colleagues*

*Ian Austin, The Province*

Published: Friday, November 03, 2006










West Vancouver Police Department Chief Scott Armstrong yesterday defended Const. Lisa Alford, who was arrested for drunk driving last year and is now up for a promotion. Armstrong said off-shift drinking at the station was once a common practice. 
Photograph by : Nick Procaylo, The Province

Const. Lisa Alford was drinking with fellow officers in the West Vancouver police station before she rear-ended a car and blew nearly three times the legal limit for alcohol.
A chagrined West Vancouver Police Department Chief Scott Armstrong said yesterday that such get-togethers involving drinking at the station were regular occurrences.
In fact, he attended a few himself before banning the practice after Alford's accident and drunk-driving charge last Nov. 26.
Armstrong continued to defend Alford, who is being recommended for promotion despite the drunk-driving conviction.
"Lisa Alford remains professional and dedicated to her job," Armstrong said yesterday. "She is highly respected by her department, despite her poor judgment shown last November.
"When disciplinary measures are necessary, my approach is to correct and to educate the police officer rather than blame and punish."
Armstrong said he could do nothing to prevent Alford, who has been with the force five years, from applying for a promotion.
He said Alford got the top mark on an exam taken by 10 applicants for promotion, followed by a sergeants' roundtable and an in-depth interview with three staff-sergeants.
He said Alford ranked No. 2 overall, and is second in line for a promotion to corporal.
Alford, 30, blew readings of .21 and .22 -- the legal limit is .08 -- and pleaded guilty to drunk driving on Jan. 25. She lost her licence for 14 months and was fined $600.
Armstrong said the constable made all the right moves after her arrest.
"One, she sought me out immediately on the following Monday morning . . . and explained the accident and her error.
"Two, she approached individual officers and staff members that same day to inform them of her actions.
"Three, she acknowledged that she had made a poor decision."
Because she had an "unblemished record" before the arrest, Armstrong backs his constable.
"When I look at Const. Alford's record, I see a woman of integrity and accountability," said the chief. "She knows what she did was wrong and regrets her actions significantly.
"It is how she has dealt with the consequences of her actions that resulted in the eligibility for promotion if there is a position available within the next three years.
"As I'm sure you're aware, nobody is infallible."
Armstrong couldn't say whether the staff-sergeants who recommended Alford for promotion were drinking with her in the police station the night she was arrested. The drinking occurred after their shifts were over, he said.
"Const. Alford is one of the best constables we have in this department," the chief said. "She made a terrible mistake, and she's paying the consequences now."
When asked by reporters how the public will react to the Alford affair, Armstrong answered testily: "I guess it depends on what spin you put on it."
West Vancouver Mayor Pam Goldsmith-Jones, who chairs the police board, said she's concerned about police officers drinking in the police station.
"That's a serious concern," she said. "The municipality has a zero-tolerance for taking drugs or alcohol at work, or in the workplace after work.
"I think it's probably something that the [police] board will be discussing."
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