ST. PETERSBURG — A police officer has been suspended for four weeks after he showed up to his shift under the influence of alcohol Nov. 11, according to a memo from Chief Tony Holloway.

Officer Todd Laslo, 44, reported to a read-off at the department's command bus about 4 p.m., police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez said. He did not show obvious signs of impairment, she said, but at some point during the read-off, a sergeant smelled alcohol on him.

"She detected the odor and then she asked him to do a breath test," Fernandez said. Laslo registered a 0.17 blood-alcohol content. A driver in Florida is presumed impaired at 0.08.

The command bus was at the corner of Fremont Terrace and 28th Street S.

Laslo was not arrested, Fernandez said, because no one actually saw him operating a vehicle that day, though his take-home department car was parked near the bus.

"No matter what assumptions you might make, by law that's the requirement," she said.

When Laslo took the Breathalyzer test, he was doing so for an administrative, not criminal investigation, according to police spokesman Mike Puetz.

As an employee, he was compelled to submit to the breath test. Puetz said the results were therefore technically coerced and could not be used against Laslo in court. In standard DUI cases, Puetz said, smell is used to presume intoxication only in conjunction with other symptoms such as glassy eyes or slurred speech.

In addition to the suspension, Laslo was removed from the take-home vehicle program for one year. He will have to report face-to-face with a supervisor at the beginning of each shift for the next year as well.

Laslo, who joined the force in November 2010, received an employee notice in his personnel file and was referred to the employee assistance program, according to Holloway's memo, dated March 30.

His record is otherwise unblemished, with no prior reprimands on file. Supervisors through 2013 were almost universally positive in their reviews of Laslo, save for noting some attendance issues involving excess sick time early in his career.

A police union official could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.