Kudos to Ex-Police Chief For Public 'Mea Culpa' Message

One day he was the Chief of Police in Alexandria, VA; the next day he was sitting in jail on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Now David P. Baker, former Alexandria police chief who was sentenced to 5 days in jail, a $300 fine, and a 1-year license suspension after colliding with another vehicle while driving under the influence, has begun a campaign to help others learn from his arrest and conviction. He could have kept silent and shied away from public exposure, hoping the public would eventually forget this episode. But he chose a boldly different path. He has turned his terrible mistake for which he paid dearly (lost his job and will never work for the government again) into a transformative and educational experience. He is featured in a YouTube video - where he talks openly about his personal embarrassment and humiliation, the "forty years that went down the tubes" in one incident, and the mistake that will "forever haunt" him. A powerful message:



See also the Washington Post article in which he sums it up:

There isn't a day that goes by where I don't have a period of sadness. The consequences are devastating.