Pittsburgh police sergeant charged with 2nd DUI offense

A Pittsburgh police sergeant has been charged with DUI for the second time in less than five years.

Both incidents occurred in Plum, the hometown of Sgt. Tariq Jamal-Francis, 44.

The latest incident happened Nov. 10, just before midnight, when Plum police said they found Jamal-Francis asleep at the wheel of an SUV that was sitting at an angle with its driver’s side wheels resting on Saltsburg Road, according to a criminal complaint.

Police said Jamal-Francis had slurred speech and an odor of alcohol on his breath and was unsteady on his feet when he exited the car. The temperature inside the car led police to believe it had recently been driven, the complaint stated.

Jamal-Francis told police he’d consumed two shots of liquor and indicated he normally doesn’t drink but was “having issues,” police said in the complaint.

While speaking with Plum police, Jamal-Francis said, “Pittsburgh police” and “I live down the street,” according to the complaint. But police said the car wasn’t located near Jamal-Francis’s home.

Jamal-Francis declined to take a field sobriety test, but agreed to submit to a blood alcohol test. Police said the test revealed a blood alcohol content of .305%, nearly four times the legal limit in Pennsylvania.

Jamal-Francis was placed on paid administrative leave by Pittsburgh police and was awaiting a Dec. 17 preliminary hearing.

Online court documents didn’t list an attorney that is representing him.

In a previous incident, on Nov. 12, 2021, in Plum, Jamal-Francis was charged with rear-ending a car while intoxicated.

In that crash, according to police, Jamal-Francis struck a car driven by a reporter for WPXI on New Texas Road near Saltsburg Road.

He drove from the scene and was found by Plum police near Boyce Park Village.

Jamal-Francis, who also was charged with endangering the welfare of children, told police his 17-year-old son was a front seat passenger during the incident.