An Albany police officer has been suspended for the second time this year following an early morning crash on Park Avenue, near Lincoln Park.

Wednesday morning, Acting Chief of Police Robert Sears held a press conference just hours after Officer Shawn Dixon was arrested. 

"Any time something like this happens, it really tears up the fabric of what police officers do every day," Sears said.

It was quite the rip for the Albany Police Department, after one of their own was arrested early Wednesday morning.

Sears says 31-year-old Dixon, an officer since 2015, drove his personal vehicle into a ravine just before 5 a.m.

“He did strike some kind of utility pole over there," Sears said.

According to court documents, Dixon, who is accused of driving while intoxicated, caused $20,000 worth of damage to a nearby transformer, and a power outage to surrounding areas. Wednesday afternoon, crews worked to fix the mess.

“This is a very troubling circumstance to say the least that Mr. Dixon was in a similar predicament early in the year," said Sears.

In May, Dixon left the scene of an accident in which another driver sustained minor injuries. He was disciplined then too, and returned to his duties on October 30.

“This is not to be tolerated. We will not accept this kind of behavior from our officers," said Sears.

Sears says it usually never comes to this. Most officers, he says, never need a second chance.

“His next shift won’t be for a long time, if at all," said Sears.

Dixon was arraigned at 10 a.m. Wednesday and released from custody. His blood alcohol content at the time of his arrest has not yet been released.