Invasion of privacy? is this legal?

i need advice about a weird situation...

ok so i got a d.u.i. on saturday night (PLEASE save your preaching and judgemental comments, i understand that what i did was utterly stupid and i could have hurt myself or someone else... i spent a night in prison and will pay dearly for it, i'm not going to read any negative comments so don't waste your time). the officer left my car parked on the side of the road where i was pulled over, and i picked it up the next day when i got out of detox.

i am a 21 year old college student, and my parents pay for my insurance and other living expenses, so i know that i needed to tell them about it. however, THE OFFICER BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH!! one day after the incident, i get a phone call from my poor mother saying that the officer personally called them and told them what happened, and that my car was still sitting where he left it and it had a parking ticket!

(hold on - adding more details)

first of all, the car that the officer saw with a ticket was not in fact my car, it was the same make and color but not the same model or liscence plate. so that information was wrong.

also, my phone number and address are different from my parents', so the officer must have done a lot of research to find my parents' phone number.

how is this allowed? i am so shocked that the officer did this... if i was a minor i would understand, but i am an adult! how is this any of his business?? i just don't understand how to approach this situation... was he looking out for my well being or was he trying to be a pain in the ***? i feel like my privacy was seriously invaded, because instead of having the chance to be mature about the situation and tell my parents on my own, they found out from a police officer (which must be terrifying for a parent to hear!) what should i do, or is there anything that i even CAN do about this?

This does sound strange. Who is the owner of the car? If you are the owner, he was certainly going beyond his authority to notify your parents. If it is in their name, he was trying to be helpful. You are lucky most cops would have had it towed and you would be stuck for towing and impound fees. Guess this is what they mean when they say bad news travels fast.

If the car is in your name he may have been taking a "fatherly" approach. Maybe he has a daughter your age. Maybe he just wasn't sure if you had learned your lesson. DUIs are public record so he really didn't violate your privacy legally. I would not like it either but since he didn't tow your car, I would just forget it. Consider that he may have saved your life, because you would have continued to drink and drive until you hurt someone or were caught.

Sounds like the car is registered to your parents, and the officer was doing his job by notifying the owner about your DUI. Not to be picky but you spent the night in jail, not prison. There is a difference.

Normally if you get a DUI they impound your vehicle for 30 days and charge you while it sits there. Be thankful all you got was a parking ticket.

When you are arrested you basically forfeit all your rights. You breaking the law is also public record, so no you can't do anything but learn from your mistakes.

Is the car paid for by your parents and/or registered with their name on it? If so, the cop may have just been doing his duty by informing the owner of the vehicle.
If not, it was a little unprofessional, but it is perfectly legal.
I sympathize with you and can clearly hear you saying, "...but I was going to call and tell you! Honest!" Unfortunately, you have no course of action against the cop.
UPDATE: He had a report of someone driving impaired in that area. That doesn't limit him to just going after the driver that was reported. Any other driver in the area that seems to be impaired is fair game.