Officer charged with DUI resigns from Bellevue Police Department

BELLEVUE -- Belllevue police officer Andrew Hanke, who was pulled over in November for a possible DUI but not arrested and allowed to to go home, resigned from the Bellevue Police Department Thursday.

Police Chief Linda Pillo said in a news release announcing his resignation, “As we move forward, my hope is that we rebuild the public’s trust and continue our focus on the great work that the men and women of this Department do every day.”

In November, Hanke was stopped on Interstate 90 near Issaquah for the investigation of DUI. The traffic stop was conducted by a Bellevue Police Department traffic officer, allowed Hanke’s wife to come and pick him up.

The on-duty officer said he immediately recognized the Hanke as a fellow policeman and he immediately "smelled an odor of alcohol" when Hanke rolled down his window and that Hanke had slurred speech and appeared "hammered." The officer called Hanke's wife, who came to the scene and gave Hanke a ride home.

The on-duty officer notified his superiors of his actions the next day. Hanke was immediately placed on administrative leave, police said, and his case was forwarded to the prosecutor's office.

The criminal investigation was filed with the Issaquah Prosecutor's Office, and the internal investigation is ongoing.

Hanke pleaded not guilty earlier this week to a DUI charge stemming from the November stop.

The department said it is also investigating the actions of the officer who made the stop and let Hanke be taken home.

"While officers are allowed some discretion during a traffic stop, the officer's decision in this case not to make an arrest is undergoing a thorough and objective internal investigation," the news release said. "That investigation will determine whether the officer used poor judgment and/or failed to perform his duties. The internal investigation continues on the officer who conducted the traffic stop."

Hanke was hired in 2001 as a Bellevue police support officer and in 2005 became a commissioned police officer.

Bellevue Police Department spokesman Seth Tyler confirmed that Hanke was one of two Bellevue officers punished in 2012 for their off-duty behavior at a Seahawks game, when they drunkenly confronted and used profane language against a female Seattle police officer who had told one of their acquaintances she saw littering to pick up the trash.  Hanke also allegedly used offensive language inside the stadium toward a  fan and his family.

Hanke was suspended for 30 days without pay and removed from the Bomb Squad for that Seahawks game incident.