ROCHESTER, N.Y. — In less than a week, four Rochester police officers were injured in the line of duty due to a series of crashes, three of which were caused by drunk driving incidents. According to the Rochester Police Department (RPD), the incidents involved cars running stop signs or red lights and crashing into police cars.

The most recent crash happened on Sunday night on Jay Street when a drunk driver ignored a stop sign and hit a police car, injuring two officers inside. A previous incident on Saturday morning at the intersection of Lyell and Dewey involved a drunk driver running through a red light and hitting a police patrol, resulting in one officer being taken to the hospital. Additionally, last Tuesday, before a stolen Kia crashed into a house, it clipped a police officer with one of its doors.

The three officers injured in the drunk driving crashes have been discharged from the hospital. Their conditions have not been released, but they are recovering at home.

Capt. Greg Bello of the RPD spoke on the frequency of these crashes, explaining that drunk drivers tend to fixate on certain things while driving, making police vehicles unintended targets.

“Drunk drivers get distracted much more easily with the alcohol, and when they see a police car at times we end up being the target of those drunk drivers,” said Bello, highlighting how such recklessness led to the recent crashes.

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