Father, a Model Police Officer for 30 Years, Deceived Colleagues to Cover Up Son's Drunk Driving...

In March, police conducted a drunk driving crackdown at the Seocho IC entrance in Seoul. This photo is not related to any specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A current police officer with 30 years of experience was sentenced to probation after lying to colleagues to cover up his son's drunk driving incident while on duty at a police substation.

According to the legal community on the 11th, the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 4 (Judge Yoon Minwook) sentenced A (56), a police lieutenant belonging to the Namdong Police Station in Incheon, to six months in prison with one year of probation on charges of falsifying electronic records, leaking official secrets, and dereliction of duty.

A was prosecuted for dereliction of duty for failing to properly investigate his son's drunk driving case, which he received while patrolling the Namdong-gu area of Incheon at 10:58 p.m. on May 20 last year.

At the time, A received a report stating "suspected drunk driving, the male driver smelled of alcohol, and he was riding with a woman," but upon realizing that the reported vehicle was his own, he immediately called his son, who often used his car. He told his son, "The police are currently searching, so do not park near the house," and then lied to two colleagues riding in the patrol car with him, saying, "The driver of the reported vehicle decided to come directly to the police substation."

Upon hearing this, the fellow officers, following the orders of A, the patrol team leader, returned to the substation without taking the necessary immediate action.

Later, A pretended to have conducted all searches properly but failed to find the vehicle or driver. He then logged into the 112 emergency call system using a colleague's ID and marked the report as "not found," closing the case.

The court stated, "The defendant, as a police officer, has the duty to uphold law and order and protect the rights of the people, yet he leaked 112 report information to his son to help him evade a drunk driving crackdown. He neglected his duties related to the drunk driving enforcement and entered false information into the 112 report processing system. The nature of these crimes is by no means light."

However, the court explained the sentencing background, saying, "Considering that the defendant is remorseful, that his son admitted to drunk driving and cooperated with the investigation, and that the defendant has served diligently as a police officer for 30 years, receiving several awards including the Prime Minister's Model Public Official Award."