Edmonds Police Arrested Two Senior Seattle Cops for DUI

SWAT officer Rafael Martinez is currently under investigation for the 2022 arrest. Gang Detective Thomas Mooney retired shortly after his.

The Office of Police Accountability is currently investigating two Seattle police officers for driving drunk in Edmonds last year, according to SPD records.

Gang Detective Thomas Mooney was stopped in Edmonds last May at 6:44 p.m. after a police officer noticed him doing 50 in a 30 and swerving over the center line. Mooney attempted to use his position as a Seattle police officer to get favorable treatment.

When asked for his identification, Mooney showed the officer his detective’s badge and said, “Well, I have this.”

Officer Thomas Mooney testifies in court in 2008.

Mooney pleaded with the officer to drive him to his parents’ house, according to the police report. “I'm ten days away from retirement. Can't you just let me go?" Mooney said.

He could not produce his registration or proof of insurance. The officer noticed a loaded handgun on the passenger-side seat. He returned to his cruiser to run Mooney’s info and request expedited backup due to the weapon.

While he was doing that, Mooney suddenly exited his vehicle and went around to the other side, where his gun was sitting. The officer ordered him to stop, and he complied.

When the other officers arrived, they arrested Mooney for suspicion of DUI. He refused the breathalyzer and the field sobriety test. He eventually submitted to a blood test at the jail.

Two months later, SWAT officer Rafael Martinez was stopped in Edmonds at 2:18 a.m. An EPD officer saw him make a rolling stop and swerve across the road repeatedly. When the officer approached, he noticed that Martinez’s eyes were bloodshot, and he smelled of alcohol.

Martinez claimed he had one Coors 30 minutes prior—a claim belied by Martinez’s lack of balance. According to the police report, Martinez was “uneasy on his feet” and seemed as if he might fall over when he stood up to exit his vehicle.

Like Mooney, Martinez also refused all sobriety testing and had his blood drawn hours later at the jail.

Mooney retired shortly after his arrest and will face no professional consequences. Martinez is still working as a member of the SWAT day squad. The OPA is investigating his DUI arrest under case number 2022OPA-0223.

Historically, the Seattle Police Department has been lenient on first-time DUIs. A DUI arrest typically results in a short suspension and seldom affects an officer’s career.

For example, Capt. Scott Moss had two DUI arrests and one for domestic violence early in his career before he was elevated to the command of the South Precinct.

Officer Moore’s headline-making arrest in 2013 prompted then-Chief John Diaz to send a memo saying officers would be fired if they were caught driving drunk a second time. Moore was subsequently promoted to sergeant and, finally, lieutenant.