Eric Ratliff, who has been with the department for 31 years, lost control of his unmarked vehicle and struck a concrete pole at Gibbon and South Patrick streets about 6:30 p.m., police said. He was off duty at the time.
Ratliff was charged with driving under the influence and unreasonable refusal, a common charge when a drunken-driving suspect refuses to take a breath test.
No one else was involved in the accident.
Ratliff was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital, where he was treated for minor injuries and released. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation.
His most recent assignment was in the office of intelligence and internal security.
In July 2009, Alexandria Police Chief David P. Baker was arrested on drunken-driving charges in Arlington County after he crashed into another car while driving an unmarked police car. He had a blood-alcohol level of 0.19, more than twice Virginia’s legal limit.
Baker pleaded guilty and resigned. He later became a spokesman against impaired driving.
Another Alexandria official, Rebecca L. Perry, then superintendent of schools, was arrested on drunken-driving charges in 2004 and was allowed to keep her position.
