LAPD commander and supervisor are arrested for alcohol offenses in Glendale

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A Los Angeles Police Department commander and sergeant were arrested early Friday morning in Glendale on suspicion of alcohol-related offenses, authorities said.

Police Commander Nicole Mehringer was cited for allegedly being drunk in public and was later released, and Sgt. James Kelly was taken into custody for DUI, the LAPD confirmed. Kelly was released pending a court appearance.

Mehringer is one of only 20 commanders in the department who report directly to Chief Charlie Beck. She was promoted in March 2017 to run the agency's Employee Relations Group.

The arrests came just days after another LAPD officer was arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle two men through an immigration checkpoint near the Mexico border.

Beck "has been briefed on the circumstances surrounding these incidents and he is extremely concerned," the department said in a statement. "Personnel complaint investigations are pending for all three employees."