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San Luis Obispo police officer arrested for DUI

September 10, 2015

CHP@A California Highway Patrol officer arrested a San Luis Obispo police officer Wednesday morning for driving under the influence and then released him without booking him into the county jail.

At 2:22 a.m., a CHP officer discovered Travis Morris, 32, driving with a vehicle code violation near the corner of Garden and Marsh streets in San Luis Obispo. The CHP officer then executed a traffic stop and determined Morris was driving under the influence of alcohol.

Morris declined the breathalyzer instead electing to have a blood test to determine his blood alcohol level.

The officer cited Morris for driving under the influence before permitting him to get a ride from a friend. Because he was cited and released, his mugshot was not taken.

If a person arrested for DUI has a valid drivers license, no past DUIs, a sensitive position or condition and someone to take them from the scene, an officer can suggest to the sergeant they are cited and released, said John Townsen, CHP public information officer. Sensitive issues include advanced age, medical issues, law enforcement status or mental illness.

“Public Information being that the person is a local police officer, with what he was arrested for he fit the perimeters for cite and release,” Townsen said. “That is why the sergeant felt this was a cite and release case.”


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Maybe Officer Morris should download the uber app to his phone?


And what does “driving with a vehicle code violation” mean? Outdated registration sticker, tail light out, what?


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So did the CHP officer video tape the sobriety test– walk the line, finger to nose, etc. or is that only done to the lay people. I would understand and have no problem with this once the officer was taken to the hospital for a blood test. The officer will be off the hook and lay people are screwed again by injustice again. Happy town sure knows how to take care of their own as we have seen over and over, and over and over.


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SLOBIRD, He DID get a blood draw, what are you whining about?


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BIG EFFING DEAL.


1. Where is the video of the field sobriety test?


2. Civilians don’t have the option of having their sergeant okaying a friend driving the allegedly impaired driver home…because civilians don’t have access to sergeants.


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I’d rather ride with a slightly drunk professional than half the incompetent fools I see on the road everyday. (And my chances of safety would be higher too)


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slo pd professional? where do you live?


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EXACTLY, Black sheep. You can sure tell the LEs posting here by the “It’s-no-big-deal” mantra they parrot.


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No, simply citing easily looked up facts. Over 70% of vehicle accidents do not involve alcohol at all, just incompetence. So saying I’d be statistically safer with a slightly drunk professional driver over a nitwit incompetent one is correct.


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Statistics can be challenging if you don’t use the data correctly.


What you are missing here is that you need to know how many of the total drivers are alcohol impaired. If only 1% of the total drivers are driving impaired by alcohol, and they are contributing to 30% of all accidents, then you are grossly wrong on your safety calculations.


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“Law enforcement status?” Seriously?What if he had killed or injured someone while under the influence? Would the same status apply? Impaired driving is impaired driving REGARDLESS of who’s behind the wheel.

There is something very strange about what goes on in SLO. Is this going to be another “Mason” debacle? It’s time to change the laws that grant special treatment is such an arbitrary manner.


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What happened here is business as usual. Many people are processed for DUI which would a field sobriety test and a test to determine what the blood alcohol level was and then released on their OR to a responsible person. Regarding an injury you would have a complete different set of circumstances as that would be a felony.


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I agree with you statement except “Morris declined the breathalyzer instead electing to have a blood test to determine his blood alcohol level.” I think maybe the article is not clear as to whether he taken to the hospital for the test or not. If he was, I would have no problem if the test, after he cited him, to let him go home. I think other citizens can have done this as well as long as someone sober picks them up. The only question here is whether he had the blood test!


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He had a blood test.


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Where was the blood test performed? How long after he was arrested was the test performed?


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In addition, folks with experience with DUIs know that getting a BA test gives extra time during which their BA level can drop to a lower level.


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That’s the way it should be for all folk, rich – poor- political nut cases – etc.etc.


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In some areas where it is a long way to the detention center, it is the same for everybody.


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That was a smart move.

I bet he was below a .08% and not impaired.


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Sorry to break it to you but a person can be “impaired” at levels below .08.


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What was a smart move?


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Oh yes….a brilliant move…get behind the wheel while under the influence AND POSSIBLY ADD TO THE 10,000 deaths per year…simply brilliant!


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Okay so a couple things here. First of all ALWAYS get the blood draw. It will yield a lower number in every case. Second, this guy must have been seriously plowed for a CHP to steamroll over the SLOPD badge and put a dent in local relations between the two.


Over all, I think that the CHP did the right thing.


SLOPD, WTF dude. Don’t you see enough death on a daily basis? Get a ride from the bouncers (i.e. COPS) downtown funded by our community to oversee the Cal Poly idiots.


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Why WOULDN’T the CHP arrest him? They would be stupid to risk their career and NOT arrest him. Dumb assumption. The blood draw does not yield a lower number. It and breath are the same.


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Am I missing the part of the story where he was first transported for a blood draw THEN cited and released?


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I missed it too.


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I suspect that was glossed over because there was no blood draw done… that way when the case goes to court, and the attention span of people has expired, the case will be dismissed.


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How special


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