DEARBORN — Fire Chief Joseph Murray has been placed on administrative leave following an arrest for allegedly operating a vehicle while under the influence.

Murray was placed under arrest at around 3 a.m. on August 29 after being pulled over by Dearborn Heights police near Telegraph Road and Dartmouth Street. Police pulled him over after observing him allegedly going 15 mph over the speed limit and drifting through lanes.

Body cam footage released by Dearborn Heights police shows the moments leading up to the arrest.

Murray can be heard on the footage admitting to officers that he had had “three or four beers”, but shortly after when he stepped out of his vehicle, he stated that he had had “four or five beers.”

“All right, because I mean, let’s just be honest: you are absolutely ripped, right?” one of the officers said. “You’re hammered; drunk. You can barely speak. You can barely stand up.”

The officers performed a string of field sobriety tests before asking Murray to take a breathalyzer, which he refused.

“…I feel like I just need to wait for a lawyer,” he said.

Murray was then placed under arrest and his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado was impounded, but no contraband was found in the vehicle according to a police report.

“Murray’s eyes were red/watery/glossy and there was a strong odor of intoxicants emitting from his person,” the report read. “Officers observed Murray’s speech to be slurred.”

Upon being placed under arrest, Murray was taken to a local hospital for a blood draw before being transported to the police department pending sobriety.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud released a statement vowing to take the matter seriously.

Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray

“Earlier this morning, the administration was notified of an incident involving our fire chief,” the statement read. “We are taking this matter seriously. As facts become known, we will take the appropriate course of action. At this time, the fire chief is on administrative leave.”

Deputy Chief Laura Ridenouer will be acting chief in the interim.

Dearborn Heights Police Chief Jerrod Hart said his officers treated the stop like Murray was any other member of the public and handled the situation the same as any traffic stop. He also said that a charging decision is pending the outcome of the blood toxicity report and that the Michigan State Police lab is handling the test.

Murray started with the department in 2004 before being named chief in 2012.

He could not be reached for comment prior to the publication of this article.