Saturday night was a rough night for two city staffers in the City of Brotherly Love. Not only were they arrested under suspicion of driving while intoxicated, but now they face the prospect of losing their jobs.

The receptionist for the President of the City Council called a sergeant-at-arms for help after swiping both a street sign and a building in Spring Garden. The receptionist apparently lost control of her vehicle while taking evasive action to avoid hitting a bicyclist early Saturday morning.

Police responding to the scene believed both individuals showed signs of intoxication and arrested the staffers at the scene. During the stop police also discovered that the receptionist had a suspended driver’s license already.

DUI charges always have the potential for severe penalties. Individuals convicted of DUI face heavy court fines, jail time and a suspension of their driver’s license. Beyond the criminal charges, there are fees associated with getting a license reinstated as well as sharp jump in auto insurance premiums. The consequences for the City Council workers could be much more severe.

Jobs in Jeopardy

Both City Council employees were driving city-owned vehicles at the time of their arrest. The receptionist was driving a Ford Cobalt and sergeant-at-arms was driving a Ford Explorer. The vehicles are designated for use only to transport City Council members and the aides that accompany them to meetings around the city. Personal use of the vehicles is not authorized.

The communications director for the City Council President told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the employees’ use of the cars could be grounds for immediate termination. She said the actions of the employees, “if confirmed by the authorities, display a level of conduct and disregard for public safety that cannot be tolerated.”

While it appears the sergeant-at-arms may have had a reason to check-out a city-owned vehicle, the communications director could not see any reason why the receptionist would be have authorization to check out a vehicle.

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Source: www.philly.com, “Philly staffers in city cars charged with DUI,” Bob Fernandez, 10 September 2012