After Police Chief Baker's DUI Arrest, a Shaken City Picks up the Pieces

Photo courtesy of the City of Alexandria Baker was driving an Alexandria City car when he got into a crash Saturday evening.

Regretfully, we've been through this before.

The last Driving Under the Influence charge against a high-ranking city official, Schools Superintendent Rebecca Perry in 2004, splintered the city into two vocal camps and dragged on for more than three years until Perry was finally locked out of her office in January, 2008 and forced into retirement.

This one lasted three days. 

On Tuesday, Alexandria Police Chief David P. Baker tendered his resignation to the city after being arrested Saturday night on DUI charges in Arlington. Baker, 58, will step down on Friday and retire with full retirement benefits after a long and distinguished career in law enforcement which spanned 39 years in the DC and Alexandria police departments.

"Dave agonized over his decision and he concluded that he could either do what's perhaps in his best interests and try to retain his job or do what's in the best interests of the city and step aside, and he chose the latter, which is pretty much what you'd expect from Dave if you know him," said James Clark, Baker's attorney.

Photo Courtesy of the Arlington County Police Arlington County Police released this mug shot of Chief Baker after his arrest.

"It is with a great deal of humility and remorse that I announce my retirement from the Alexandria Police Department, effective immediately," Baker said in a brief statement.  "Words cannot describe the pride I feel having had the opportunity to lead such a great department. You have much to be proud of. Your standing in the community, the region, and the country is unparralled, and you are and will continue to be respected for your professionalism, innovation, and dedication to the citizens you serve. Thank for allowing me the privilege of serving with you. I could not have asked for a better, more capable, or more compassionate group of public safety professionals to work with."

For about 72 hours after the incident, which involved a traffic collision near the intersection of I-66 and North Fairfax Drive in Arlington County, it appeared as if Baker -- speaking only through his attorney -- was digging in, showing remorse for his mistake but asking for forgiveness to stay on as the city's top cop.

"He had an absolutely unblemished record," Mayor William D. Euille said. "But I can see how his officers would not want to see their chief in an embarrassing situation like this."

A tense standoff of sorts between Baker, his 480-member police force and City Hall ensued, with members of the force sharply divided in their loyalties, according to a source knowledgeable with the situation who asked for anonymity. 

"There was more brass at roll call Monday than on the Space Shuttle," our source said. "The mood was somber, but some felt like it was a Class A dog and pony show. I mean, what was he thinking? He was allegedly returning a city-owned vehicle to police headquarters in Alexandria after a vacation, but he was in the Ballston Commons area of Arlington where all the bars were? The rank and file street cops had real difficulty believing that."

Courtesy photo/Alexandria Police Department Chief Baker welcomed a new recruit to the department last week.

 The source said that some of the more senior officers were inclined to cut Baker a break for his error in judgment, while most of the younger patrol officers argued that it would be "near impossible" to enforce the state's new zero-tolerance laws on drinking and driving if the city's top cop had flouted them himself.
 
"Some of the officers felt that he had gotten away with this offense before," the source said. "But this time he got caught."
 
The claim could not be substantiated, but Local Kicks asked Acting Police Chief Earl Cook after a hastily-arranged press conference at City Hall Tuesday if indeed Baker had been pulled over and perhaps not "papered" in any possible previous incident, real or imaginary.
 
"It's hit or miss on that one," Cook initially demurred, then responded, helpfully: "I knew him from the day he walked into the police department 19 years ago. I had interaction with him daily. During that time I never saw him go beyond a single drink of wine. What happened [Saturday] is antithetical to everything I've ever seen."
 
Cook, who grew up in the city and has spent most of his career with the Alexandria Police, added, "Maybe it's time to take another barometer of the situation. There's a lot of concern, a lot of shock over what happened. But what we need to do now is wish him well and roll up our sleeves and get back to work."

On Saturday, the driver of the other vehicle sustained non life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local area hospital, where she was treated for whiplash and neck and back pain.  

According to the Arlington County Police, Baker’s blood alcohol level, or BAC, was .19 percent. The legal limit for adults is .08 percent -- the point at which one is considered "legally drunk." According to press reports, he failed four field sobriety tests.

At the time, Baker was driving an unmarked city-owned vehicle, a green Ford Explorer, which suffered about $900 in damages. Following his arrest, Baker was released through normal booking procedures, with no bail set. His arraignment, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed until August. Under Virginia law, Baker could face a minimum five days in jail because his blood alcohol level was above 0.15.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks "He has an absolutely unblemished record," Alexandria Mayor William D. Euille told reporters on Sunday. "But I can see how his officers would not want to see their chief in an embarrassing situation like this."

As a result of the arrest, City Manager James K. Hartmann placed Chief Baker on paid administrative leave, and immediately appointed Cook, the city's Deputy Chief of Police, as Acting Chief. Cook is a 30-year veteran of the Alexandria Police Department and has served as Executive Deputy Chief of Police since August 2006. He served as an Alexandria Deputy Chief of Police for 12 years.

On Sunday, Hartmann said that while he has the authority to fire Baker immediately, he said he would await the findings of an internal review. On Tuesday, Baker's resignation effectively terminated the city's review of the incident. "It was a decision the chief came to on his own," Hartmann said. "He retired not only from the force but he retired our investigation as well."

Baker is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and other professional development and leadership courses, and is an honorary member of the Alexandria Rotary Club. His police career began in September of 1970 when he joined the DC Police Department. He served 21 years with the DC Police, ending his career as its chief of traffic enforcement division.

After his Feb. 1991 retirement from the D.C. Force as a captain assigned to the Special Operations Division, Baker was chosen to fill a vacant Deputy Chief position in the Alexandria Police Department. 

Baker is currently part of the Administration of Justice Advisory Committee for George Mason University. The committee provides advice to the department on its teaching, research, and outreach efforts, and is currently headed by former U. S. Attorney General Edwin Meese.

Photo by John Arundel/Local Kicks Schools Superintendent Rebecca Perry was arrested in 2004 and charged with a DUI. This caused a firestorm in the city when she was not immediately removed from office.

Baker is well liked in the city, where he marches in its parades, serves as an honorary member of the Alexandria Rotary Club, attends civic functions by the Chamber of Commerce and boasts an open-door policy for members of the force, residents and the media alike. "Call me anytime," as the chief was fond to say.

"He was always the first one to extend a hand to anyone," Cook said. "He is off the charts genuine and has the greatest sense of humor. He was pure pleasure to work with on the job."

Cook said that Baker was "always the GQ gentleman," dressed impeccably for the job. "We teased him about that," he said. "He never seemed to have a crease in his pants."

Baker, who lives in Gaithersburg, is divorced but then remarried four years ago. He has three children and two grandkids.

Baker is the city's second high-ranking official to be arrested for drunken driving. Superintendent Perry was arrested in 2004 and charged with a DUI, and caused a firestorm in the city when she was not immediately removed from office.

That came in May 2007, when Alexandria School Board members voted 5-4 in a special session not to renew Perry's contract, which ended in June 2008. Perry was ousted in January, 2008 when then-School Board Chair Claire Eberwein ordered Perry off School Board premises, locking her out of her office.

Euille said that he had spoken to Baker on Sunday morning. "He expressed his regrets sincerely," Euille said. "He was very remorseful. He felt very bad about the situation. We are all very disappointed in what happened, but we can't lose sight of his stellar career. This is an opportunity to now put this behind us."

Email the writer at jarundel@localkicks.com