Parsippany cops charge their own ex-deputy chief with DWI

A former Parsippany deputy police chief was found drunk behind the wheel early Wednesday morning, police said.

According to Parsippany police, at t 4:04 a.m. Patrol Sgt. R. Cooper was patrolling the area of Parsippany Road when he saw a vehicle parked with its engine running in the parking lot of the Parsippany Elks Lodge.

Cooper pulled into the parking to check on it, approached the vehicle and saw the driver— William Makowitz, 72, from Sparta — sitting in the driver’s seat with his head tilted back, police said.

Cooper was able wake Makowitz after a few attempts and speak to him, police said.

Makowitz was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated and failure to submit to a breath test after being brought back to police headquarters, police said. He released on his own recognizance pending his court date.

According to multiple reports, Makowitz retired as deputy chief in 2006.

Makowitz is one of about 2,000 New Jersey retirees receiving more than $100,000 in pension payments per year, according to a report by Watchdog.org. He receives $102,522.96.