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Campus police sergeant arrested for DUI

Devin Banerjee

By: Devin Banerjee

Sgt. Chris Cohendet, a 31-year-old member of Stanford’s police force, was arrested last week while off duty in San Mateo County for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The Stanford Department of Public Safety (DPS) has put him on administrative leave while it conducts an internal investigation into the circumstances of the arrest.

Cohendet was pulled over by Millbrae police and arrested at 1:26 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26, said Millbrae Police Officer Jennifer McCarthy. He was taken to a county “sobering facility” before being released later that day, according to Irene Brunow, Millbrae police records manager. The police would not divulge Cohendet’s blood-alcohol content or the car he was driving.

Conhendet joined Stanford’s police force “eight to nine years ago,” said Lt. Rich Cinfio of DPS. Cinfio said he isn’t aware of any Stanford police officer, past or present, who has been arrested. “There has certainly been nothing in recent years,” he said.

DPS is conducting an administrative investigation, separate from the criminal investigation, into Cohendet’s arrest. Police Chief Laura Wilson will review the investigation’s outcome and decide a course of action, Cinfio said.

“We are conducting a fair, impartial and objective review of the circumstances, which has not reached a conclusion yet,” he said. “We want to be thorough.”

Cinfio would not say whether Cohendet’s administrative leave is paid or unpaid, calling it a personnel matter.

Stanford’s police chief reports to the University’s general counsel, Debra Zumwalt J.D. ‘79, who said Wednesday Cohendet’s case is “an ongoing personnel matter.” Jeff Wachtel ‘79, senior assistant to Stanford President John Hennessy, was unaware of the arrest and said it was unlikely Hennessy would know about it.

A spokeswoman for the San Mateo County district attorney’s office on Wednesday said Cohendet is awaiting arraignment.

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About Devin Banerjee

Devin Banerjee was president and editor in chief of Volume 236 of The Stanford Daily, serving from June 2009 to January 2010. He joined The Daily's staff in September 2007. Contact him at devin.banerjee@stanfordalumni.org or follow him on Twitter @devinbanerjee.
  • Red

    Hopefully all charges will be dropped and we can give this officer with an impeccable past a raise and forget about this isolated incident.
    just sayin.

  • Cohendet

    Sgt. Cohendet is a great public servant with a long history of helping this community. I hope this is an isolated mistake and does not result in his removal from the force.

  • Chris Cohendet

    Are you kidding? I have friends on the inside at the DA’s office who can make these charges disappear in a blink. Think of it as our version of “employee benefits.”

  • Roble Hall resident

    I’ll be thinking about this incident the next time I see one of Cohendet’s rent-a-cops trying to disrupt students’ lives on campus by writing us up for partying with some alcohol.

  • Jim

    The DA might be kind (note San Mateo county is not Santa Clara county) but Stanford has much higher standards than your typical police department, demanding the utmost professionalism from their police officers. The selection process to become a Stanford deputy borders on extreme, a reflection on the demands and expectations Stanford puts on its law enforcement officers. I would not doubt for a minute that Sgt. Cohendet’s job is in jeopardy. It is a shame because every time I have met the him, he has been one of the kindest, fairest and hardest working person I’ve met.

    I’ve seen cops, firefighters, doctors, judges and millionaires lose almost everything because of alcohol. All it takes is one mistake.

    Roble Hall Resident – “rent a cops” aka security guards cannot “write you up” for alcohol infractions. Learn the difference between a deputy, a CSO, a SEP and event security – they are not the same. The fully sworn police officers at Stanford have a duty to the university, to the county and to the state to uphold the law. And yes, Stanford students have to obey it too.

    Every police officer and CSO I have met through DPS have been nothing but exemplary. When my friend who was biking got hit by a hit and run, when I saw a girl get assaulted at the Stadium, when I saw a resident collapse into unconsciousness – DPS was there to help.

    Jim’
    ’07

  • cohendet

    I have met sgt cohendet before and he is not only a good man but a great police officer. I don’t know what happened, but he is a great person for the community and letting him go would only hurt the department. Everyone can make a mistake, but its what we learn from it that makes the difference.

  • numba 10 GI

    When did the ‘drunk tank’ turn into a “sobering facility” ?

  • the shallow alto kid

    Three things that we can safely say about this incident:

    1. Police suffer from the same human frailties as do we all.
    2. Because of his status as a police officer, he received no special treatment. He was arrested and charged with driving under the influence. In some parts of the country, such an incident would have been handled with a wink and a nod, and a ride home with nothing more heard about the incident. It is good that the Millbrae Police and the San Mateo County District Attorney have the fortitude to handle the issue without fear or favor.
    3. That Laura Wilson, a Stanford grad and current Chief of Police, runs an open and transparent police department where such an incident won’t be hidden and will be dealt with in the open light of day.

    As Sir Robert Peale opined, “The Police are the people, and the people are the police.” They are no different than you or me. They should be subject to the same sanctions as we are and should be given the same consideration when they are in the dock. Sergeant Cohendet should be subject to the same zealous prosecution as we would be, but is also entitled to every legitimate defense.

    Now, we must let time, and justice, take their natural paths…

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