According to local Fox affiliate, KPTV, Officer Jason Servo was arrested in January of 2011 after driving a department vehicle into a ditch while intoxicated.

Servo was fired from the police department a few months later after serving for twelve years on the force.

The lawsuit filed by Servo states that he has been diagnosed with alcohol addiction, and while he did violate the law by driving drunk, this cannot be used as grounds for his termination.

The lawsuit claims:

"He [Servo] is afflicted with a significant disability recognized under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Oregon Law."

"Plaintiff is disabled and due to that disability is limited in one or more major life activities."

Servo spoke at a press conference on Friday regarding the lawsuit:

"There were times I went home and I couldn't get crime scenes out of my head," he said.

"I went to drinking for that and there's other officers that do the same thing."

According to witnesses Servo drank at numerous bars on the McMenamins campus while carrying his weapon and wearing his badge.

One witness told investigators that Servo showed his badge and gun in a threatening manner, while "significantly intoxicated."

He later drove away in his department-issued vehicle and crashed the Chevrolet Blazer into a ditch.

Servo says that the damages he seeks are not just about the money but also about helping his fellow officers.