NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Channel 4 I-Team has learned Metro police officers were ordered to be "chauffeurs" for the precinct commander's secretary.

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The officers were seen picking her up at her house, dropping her off and taking her to get her nails done, among other errands.

The officers were on duty, in marked units, being chauffeurs for the secretary of their boss, the commander of the South Precinct. The officers said they picked up and dropped off the woman because their commander told them to.

The I-Team's cameras captured the officers' chauffeur duties for days, but records obtained by the I-Team show it’s been going on for four months.

The I-Team found the officers were on duty but were so busy chauffeuring the secretary they didn’t respond to calls or do any police work for at least 143 man hours. That’s the equivalent of three and a half work weeks.

The officers were also seen doing other errands, such as going through the drive-through at Krispy Kreme, while on duty.

It started when Susan Stiddum, the secretary to Commander Mike Alexander, had a shoulder injury and her doctor didn’t want her to drive.

Alexander had officers pick her up, take her home and even take her to her physical therapy appointments, using officers and squad cars on duty.

Taking her to physical therapy required officers to drive from the South Precinct near Antioch to the West End area, which is a 30-minute trip each way.

In an e-mail obtained by the I-Team, the commander directs one officer to “Go on 10-3,” meaning special assignment, whenever he needs to in order to transport Stiddum.

But a source inside the police department said Stiddum was not indispensable.

“She’s not crucial. It’s possibly the opposite,” said the officer, who did not want to be identified. “It is a serious lack of judgment, in my opinion, and a total misuse of his power and a misuse of taxpayer money.”

Alexander admitted that meant police officers were not doing their job and has apologized.

“My first thing I explain to them is that I’m sorry for the indiscretion and my decision that was made. It was a poor decision that will not be made again,” said Alexander.

Alexander said it was his decision to direct officers to chauffeur his secretary but that he didn’t expect it to go on for so long. He said he had no idea about the errands, such as the trips to a nail salon and shopping.

“Obviously, it got abused and taken advantage of and got way out of hand,” said Alexander.

When the I-Team took its findings to police officials, the chauffeuring stopped immediately and Alexander received the harshest punishment in recent memory for an acting commander: He was suspended for 10 days. He opted to keep working and be docked 10 days of pay.

This week, he apologized to all of his officers.

“The suspension was well deserved. The suspension rests with me. The plan was mine,” Alexander said. “I feel it was a poor decision that should not have been made. Upon reflection, I’m very embarrassed by my decision."

Metro Police Chief Ronal Serpas said the decision by Alexander was something that went “terribly, terribly wrong.”

Alexander has never been disciplined for any type of action like this or anything else.

Serpas said Alexander isn’t the only one at fault.