Tallahassee cop Holly Lofland resigns after charges she falsified DUI arrest
(This is an update to a story posted 10/13/08.)
Holly Lofland was once regarded as one of the most effective cops in Florida when it came to picking up drunk drivers. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) gave her an award for making 100 drunk driving arrests in a single calendar year. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement named her Law Enforcement Officer of the Year.
Yesterday she was forced to resign from the Tallahassee Police Department and give up her police certification amid charges by the State Attorney office that she falsified the evidence that helped her rack up those honors.
Lofland was charged with two counts of official misconduct, but fought the accusations for a year while on unpaid administrative leave. She turned herself in after being notified Wednesday that a warrant for her arrest had been issued. In return the charges against her were dropped.
The charges against Lofland stemmed from her arrests following a 2007 car crash. Lofland arrested Miguel Palmer for driving under the influence, though he claimed to he was only a passenger in the car. When his brother, David Palmer, testified in a later hearing that he was the driver and responsible for car wreck, Lofland had him arrested on perjury charges.
Lofland intentionally put false information in reports that led to the brothers’ arrests, and tried to get two other witnesses—one of them a police officer--to lie in their testimonies to corroborate her story, according to the State Attorney's Office.
Other charges against Lofland are still being investigated.