A senior Taichung detective has been stripped of his command role after allegedly driving drunk and refusing a breath test — bad news for him and an embarrassment for the police force.

• A 33-year-old deputy squad leader in Taichung's criminal investigation unit was stopped by police in Hsinchu County early in the morning and flagged for suspected drunk driving.
• He refused to take a breath test, so officers reported him and impounded his car.
• He had driven north on his day off to have dinner with former colleagues and was caught on the way back.
• By that same morning the unit had already removed him from his supervisory post and reassigned him to a non-management role.

Outlook: An internal investigation is underway, and officials say he faces harsh punishment under police driving-safety rules.