Meanwhile, the San Antonio Police Department also suspended two other high-ranking officers without pay for failing to respond to a call from hotel staff to remove Mendoza, who was off duty at the time, according to city records.
Additionally, an SAPD detective was disciplined for failing to turn on his body camera as he picked up Mendoza from the hotel, his disciplinary documents state. The detective also failed to acknowledge Mendoza's intoxication before driving him home and didn't report the incident to a supervisor as required by department rules, according to the paperwork.
Early in the morning of Feb. 23, staff at downtown's Wyndham Garden San Antonio Riverwalk/Museum Reach hotel called SAPD after a bar employee dropped Mendoza off in the lobby, police disciplinary documents state.
The bar employee told hotel staff that he'd tried to take the lieutenant home but he was unable to say where he lived, according to city paperwork. The man hoped the hotel would let Mendoza sleep off his alleged intoxication.
Hotel staff called authorities roughly two hours later, according to SAPD records, because they were concerned Mendoza, who was armed, was "stumbling" and "wanting to leave on foot."
Mendoza's actions rendered him unfit to do his duty, didn't conform to ordinary rules of good conduct and brought discredit to himself and the department, according to accusations in his disciplinary record.
The police personnel disciplined for allegedly failing to respond to the call were Lt. Brooks Serna, who received a 15-day suspension, and Sgt. Manuel Alaniz, who received a 10-day suspension, according to city records.
Both were disciplined for failing to follow department rules requiring them to respond to a report of public intoxication by an off-duty officer, records show. The two served their suspensions in August, according to city documents.
Eduardo Escobar, the detective who picked up Mendoza, served a two-day suspension in August for his failure to follow SAPD procedures, paperwork shows.
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