60 New Orleans Cops Fired For Hurricane Actions

[Rusty24]

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans' new police chief says his top priorities are dealing with officers who left work or did wrong after Hurricane Katrina, and scrubbing the department's image.

Chief Warren Riley defends the majority of his 1,500 officers. But hundreds left the city without permission in the days after the hurricane hit. And a few rogue cops caused trouble and stirred public uneasiness and mistrust, he acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press.

The desertions, allegations of theft and looting, and the videotaped beating of a retired teacher by police in the French Quarter have tarnished the department's reputation nationally. The officers accused of the beating will be tried next month. Allegations of looting and theft are being investigated.

"It's my opinion that only 40 or 50 people, and hopefully some of them are gone, that really makes this department have a bad reputation," Riley said.

The FBI and federal drug enforcement agents will help train the department in behavior and leadership skills starting in January, Riley said.

In the meantime, he said he has fired 60 officers and suspended more than 25 others who didn't show up for duty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Fifty-one of the fired officers were let go before the hearings began, Riley said.

The 228 officers currently in disciplinary hearings left New Orleans without permission in the days after the hurricane hit, the chief told The Associated Press in an interview.

"They did return. But they left without permission, and at a critical time like this, it's totally unacceptable," Riley said.

The hurricane hit Aug. 29, leaving much of the city under water and in chaos. Looters broke into stores and homes, there were reports of shootings in the streets, and there were assaults inside the Superdome, where thousands of residents who were unable to evacuate rode out the storm.

Some police officers were stranded in the flooding and unable to check in with their commanders, but others were accused of adding to the chaos.

Riley, appointed interim chief when Eddie Compass resigned a month after the storm and sworn in as chief Nov. 28, said officials are about one-fifth of the way through the 228 disciplinary hearings, with 42 completed.

So far, two officers listed as AWOL have been exonerated, Riley said.

"We've had nine people that have been terminated, one captain resigned under investigation, one sergeant was demoted, one sergeant received a 40-day suspension, two officers were cleared, exonerated of any misconduct," Riley said. "The remaining officers of those 42 received anywhere from 30 to 95 days suspensions."

Officers missing for 14 days are being fired. Absences under 14 days result in a suspension, Riley said.

In the meantime he hopes to see some of the investigations of his officers wrapped up.

The desertion hearing should be done by the end of February, and the three officers arrested for beating the teacher will be tried Jan. 11.

An investigation also continues into a shooting five days after the hurricane in which police confronted seven people on a bridge after workers in boats reported they had been fired on. Six people on the bridge were shot, two fatally.

The state attorney general's office and the police are also investigating vehicles from a dealership. Police say some were used for rescues and patrols after the department lost 300 vehicles to flooding. But one former officer faces federal charges after he was caught in Texas with one of the vehicles.

[USMCRET6391]

public service at it's best. The NO Police Dept didnt have the best rep in the world to begin with, this isnt going to help

[Grimmy]

I alwase thought corruption was factored into NO police pay?

Dosent the IRS tax them according to a x300% rate due to expected income from theft, payoffs and murder for hire payments?

[AmericanGirl]

I feel bad for the guys just trying to do their jobs... Yeah NO had a larger portion of bad apples, but not all of them were bad.

[USMC Chuter]

Those who bailed when their city was in a true emergency probably should be shitcanned. Having said that, I wouldn't leave my own family hanging if everything went to shit, just because i have a sworn duty.

[SGRock]

I'm with Chuter. I have a family to take care of and I will do so. Those that took off permanently or were televised carrying bigscreen TV's out of Walmart should have been fired a long time ago.