Police say the accident happened just after 3:30 a.m. in the 0 to 100 block of Prince Albert Road.
After crashing into the power pole, police say the driver fled the scene on foot, but was located about 30 minutes later on Portland Street on the overpass to Highway 111.
Police say the man - a HRP officer who was off duty at the time – was arrested after showing signs of impairment.
Const. Ryan William Morris, 23, is facing charges of impaired driving. He is a one-year veteran of the force who has been suspended with pay.
“We don’t tolerate that type of behaviour,” said HRP spokesman Const. Pierre Bourdages.
“It’s very disconcerning to us when we have a police officer who has broken the law, laws they are expected to uphold.”
Morris is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth provincial court on Dec. 23 and police say more charges are expected under the Motor Vehicle Act.
Bourdages wouldn’t disclose how much above the legal blood-alcohol limit the officer allegedly was “because it’s before the courts.”
He did say cases of impaired driving are usually not sworn before the courts this quickly, which allows them to release the accused’s name. But in this case where it involved a Halifax police officer, Bourdages said the force wanted to act quickly to make sure the public was aware of what happened.
Bourdages said under guidelines of the Police Act, Morris will be suspended with pay for the next 60 days
