Bodycam video shows Westboro police chief with bottle of vodka in unmarked cruiser
By: -----
Shrewsbury, MA - Body camera video shows Westboro Police Chief Todd Minardi sitting in his unmarked police cruiser outside a Shrewsbury liquor store with a bottle of Tito's Vodka in his hand, and police say another bottle of vodka was nearby.
Shrewsbury officers say he struggled to follow their commands during the incident last month.
"Chief, keep them [hands] on the steering wheel, you know. Keep them on the steering wheel, you've done this long enough. I don't want to have to do something bad today," one of the officers is heard saying.
A worried business owner called 911 after seeing the chief slumped over in his cruiser for more than a day.
"I saw a bottle of Tito's. And then, but it looked like he wasn't moving. And he was like passed out," the 911 caller said. "And I was like worried because, I mean, if he was here from since yesterday."
A first responder said to police that Minardi's wife called when they were treating him and said, "He had been missing for two days."
Minardi repeatedly apologizes to officers, saying at one point, "I'm sorry to put you in this position."
He was placed on administrative leave following the incident.
Officers said since the cruiser wasn't running, Minardi was not charged with operating under the influence, but he was cited for having an open container of alcohol in the car. Eventually he agreed to go to the hospital.
Residents have expressed sympathy for Minardi, but also said the town's top cop should be held to a higher standard.
He was sworn in as chief in 2023 and has been with the department since 1994.