St. Joseph County Police release public records for officer accused of driving drunk, community reacts to arrest

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - The St. Joseph County Police Department has released more information on the officer accused of driving drunk while in a police vehicle on Sunday.

At the time of the crash, Coty Hoffman was on probation for violations of department policy regarding intoxication and impairment while off duty and for conduct unbecoming an officer for excessive alcohol use while off duty, according to his personnel file.

He was ordered to six months' probation in July and suspended without pay for three days, according to his file.

The police department released the following statement:

"In May of this year, photographs of Hoffman in a state of undress & unconsciousness were provided to the department along with allegations of alcohol use while in uniform and on-duty. After the completion of an Internal Investigation and interviewing multiple witnesses, IA was unable to find sufficient proof to sustain those allegations. However, it was determined that Hoffman had violated department policy regarding excessive intoxication & impairment while off-duty and was in violation of policy for conduct unbecoming an officer. As a result of these violations, on July 25, 2022, Hoffman was suspended without pay for 3 days, ordered to alcohol counseling, and placed on probation for six months."

Hoffman was placed on administrative suspension following the November 27 crash and remains on administrative suspension.

The incident has produced a mixed reaction from community members. 

“I think it’s pretty unacceptable, I mean police officers should be held to a higher standard," said Reghan Ward. "I mean, they're in the public eye.”

“You have to have compassion, you can’t just say oh, this that and the third because you’re not them," said an anonymous community member. "He’s a police officer second, but he’s a human first. He’s no different than you and I.”

No disciplinary actions can be taken by the Sheriff until the investigation is complete, according to the police department.