DASH CAM: Uniformed Southern MN officer arrested for DUI after blowing 0.28 BAC

The Bloomington Police Department has released dashcam footage capturing the arrest of a southern Minnesota police officer accused of driving drunk and crashing his vehicle while in full uniform.

The incident occurred around midnight Thursday near West 94th Street and Lyndale Avenue South, according to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges. A video with the footage, and a message from the Bloomington Chief, was posted to the department's Facebook page. See that footage below.

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The suspect has been identified as Kenneth Galen, an officer with the Chatfield Police Department.

Police say Galen had just finished working an off-duty shift at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights and was still in uniform when he was taken into custody.

According to the report, Galen’s blood-alcohol level was 0.28%—more than three times the legal limit in Minnesota. Chief Hodges expressed both frustration and relief during a press briefing regarding the incident. See the video below.

The Penalty for Driving Under the Influence in Minnesota:

In Minnesota, driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher can trigger a DWI arrest, resulting in up to a year of license suspension, thousands of dollars in fines, and potential jail time. Penalties escalate dramatically for repeat offenders or first-time drivers caught with a high BAC of 0.16% or more.

Bloomington Police Chief Releases Footage of Chatfield Officer's Arrest

This is really unfortunate, and again, this scene here is something that, thank God, we don't see all the time," Hodges said. "But make no mistake about it, I don't care who you are. You come to our city, you break the law, we're going to lock you up. I'm just glad that no member of the public was hurt here, and it's really unfortunate the position that our officers were put in here.