Boise police officer has made over 3,500 DUI arrests. He was cited for driving drunk
An officer who handles cases of driving under the influence, and has made more than 3,500 DUI arrests throughout his career, was cited for driving drunk.
Boise Police Cpl. Casey Hancuff, 59, was stopped by an Eagle police officer earlier this month after police alleged he was “driving erratically” on Idaho 44, Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Patrick Orr told the Idaho Statesman. Orr said the Eagle officer “detected the odor of alcohol,” and that Hancuff’s speech was slurred.
The citation was first reported by KTVB.
Hancuff, who joined the Boise Police Department in 1994, has made “impaired driving education and enforcement the focus of his career,” according to a 2021 Mothers Against Drunk Drivers post. He was selected by MADD National as its April 2021 Officer of the Month.
“We thank him for his many years of dedicated service to the citizens of Boise and for his passion to remove impaired drivers from the roadways,” the post said.
Hancuff is a part of the Boise Police Department’s Night STEP team, or Selected Traffic Enforcement Program, which is responsible for a majority of the agency’s DUI arrests, according to the city’s website.
Boise police said they’re aware of the incident and Hancuff is “not on patrol or in the field.” Spokesperson Lynsey Amundson didn’t clarify whether Hancuff was placed on administrative leave.
“We take matters of this nature very seriously, and our internal affairs office will be reviewing the related criminal report and investigation,” Amundson told the Idaho Statesman by email. She said that once Hancuff’s legal proceedings are finalized, the Boise Police Department’s Office of Internal Affairs will determine whether any policies were violated.
Eagle police stopped Hancuff around 1 a.m. May 15. Police said Hancuff’s blood alcohol content was .111, which is past the legal limit of .08.
Hancuff has pleaded not guilty, according to paperwork filed by his private Boise-based attorney James Ball. In Idaho, defendants charged with misdemeanors can make an appearance through their attorney instead of having to physically enter a plea in court.
According to online court records, Hancuff is expected to appear for a hearing at 8:30 a.m. June 29 at the Ada County Courthouse.
Police didn’t arrest Hancuff, Ada County Sheriff’s Office says
Hancuff wasn’t arrested and instead was cited. Orr said that while it’s up to the sheriff’s deputy whether they want to arrest someone or issue a citation, out of the 142 people who’ve been charged with a DUI this year, only 16 were citations. To put it another way, nearly 90% of people charged with DUIs by the sheriff’s office were arrested.
Orr said Hancuff was “dealing with health issues” that were unrelated to the drinking, which was part of the reason the officer cited him and drove Hancuff home, instead of taking him into custody at the Ada County Jail.
Boise Police Cpl. Brian Holland, a spokesperson for the department’s union, told the Statesman by phone that Hancuff is dealing with “significant” health issues, but added that it wasn’t an excuse — and Hancuff wouldn’t want his health issues to be seen as one.
“We do a job that is done by imperfect people,” Holland said. “He doesn’t claim to be perfect.”
Had Hancuff been taken to the Ada County Jail, he likely would have been placed on a $500 bond and able to pay it and leave without seeing a judge. Under Idaho law, judges have the discretion to set bail, but in the case of misdemeanors, there are recommended guidelines.
In Idaho, individuals’ first DUI is punishable by up to six months in county jail, along with a maximum fine of $1,000. They could also lose their license for up to six months. Someone convicted of an excessive DUI, who was found with blood alcohol content above 0.20, could face up to a year in jail, with a minimum of 10 days. Both a DUI and an excessive DUI are considered misdemeanor violations.
In response to a question about why Hancuff wasn’t arrested, Holland said he couldn’t speak to Hancuff’s case specifically but said the arresting officer has discretion.
“When people say it appears to be some type of favoritism, I can personally say that I’ve seen him use that same discretion with people that have no ties to us or any other agency or anything,” Holland said.
