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Drunk Police Chief Got Preferential Treatment When Pulled Over
It's normal day on the job as a police officer until you pull a suspicious damaged car, lean into the window and realize it's your boss. Yes, your boss as in Riverside's Chief of Police -- and there is signs of drinking, fresh off a visit to a strip club mixed with drinking and prescription medications on Super Bowl Sunday.
Now a 500-page report and video has been released, showing that officers gave Russ Leach preferential treatment by not giving him a sobriety test and giving him a ride home instead of arresting him, according to KTLA. After the incident Leach was eventually charged with a DUI before retiring for unspecified medical reasons, but will not spend any time in jail. Rather, he'll wear a monitoring device and spend 30 days under house arrest.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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