According to a December 22 announcement, the Nashville Police Department has removed an officer from active duty following allegations of impaired driving and leaving the scenes of two separate collisions while off-duty.
The officer, identified as Chetan Babbar from the central precinct, is confronting five misdemeanor charges: driving under the influence, two counts of leaving crash scenes, and two counts of failing to report or provide assistance, as detailed in the department's statement.
Decommissioning is described as a non-punitive administrative step that temporarily revokes an officer's authority to perform police duties. Metro Nashville Police Spokesperson Don Aaron stated that Babbar will be assigned to administrative tasks while the Office of Professional Accountability conducts its inquiry.
Police reports indicate that at approximately 2 a.m. on December 22, the 38-year-old officer struck the rear of an Uber vehicle that was stationary at a red light at the intersection of 9th Avenue and Broadway.
"Witnesses said he made a U-turn before driving onto McGavock Street from 12th Avenue South, and while on McGavock, suddenly turned left into the wall of a building," authorities reported.
Following this second collision, Babbar reportedly exited his vehicle and fled on foot. Officers located him near his residence shortly afterward.
"Those officers smelled alcohol on Babbar’s person and observed his speech was slurred," the official statement noted.
Due to injuries sustained from hitting the building wall, he was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for treatment.
Although Babbar faces criminal charges for the five citations, Aaron mentioned that formal booking will be postponed until a hearing scheduled for January 16, 2026.
"Absent his admission to the hospital, he would have been physically arrested this morning," Aaron commented.
Babbar joined the police force after graduating from the MNPD academy in February 2023.
