Police captain accused of DUI asks officer to turn off body camera, video shows

Published: Mar. 20, 2023 at 1:01 AM CDT
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OKLAHOMA CITY (CNN) - Body camera footage shows an off-duty Oklahoma City police captain, who was pulled over for suspected drunken driving, asking the arresting officer to turn off the camera.

Police Capt. James French, 55, was pulled over about 1:30 a.m. last Sunday after police Sgt. Christopher Skinner allegedly saw his SUV swerve and turn without signaling, according to incident reports and body camera footage.

In the footage, French identifies himself as a police captain and requests that Skinner turn off his body camera.

When asked how much he had to drink, French says he had three or four beers at a poker game and then asks Skinner again to turn off his body camera. Skinner tells French that he doesn’t show favoritism to anyone and cannot turn off the camera.

The video shows French repeat the request several times as he struggles with field sobriety tests, CNN reports.

French was arrested and booked on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to signal intention to turn.

Oklahoma City Police say French is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.