New Orleans Police Officers Fired

The city of New Orleans has taken action against police officers who deserted during Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath:

New Orleans Fire Officers for Desertion: "Amid the chaos that ensued as Hurricane Katrina struck the city, dozens of police officers and civilian employees left their posts unexpectedly and were not heard from again. On Friday, the New Orleans Police Department fired 51 of them -- 45 officers and six civilian workers -- for abandonment.

'They either left before the hurricane or 10 to 12 days after the storm and we have never heard from them,' acting police superintendent Warren Riley said.

Police were unable to account for 240 officers on the 1,450-member force following Katrina. The force has been investigating them to see if they left their posts during the storm.

The mass firing was the first action taken against any of the missing officers. Another 15 officers resigned when placed under investigation for abandonment."

Gee... August 29 to October 29 is 61 days without any communication from the 51 missing employees. Wouldn't want to be too hasty, now, would we? Admittedly, the situation was pretty chaotic for awhle there, but you'd think they'd at least come by to pick up their checks.

Clearly, the city administration has learned how to act quickly and decisively after the problems exposed by the hurricane response.

This page is from the original Don't Let Me Stop You blog. We have moved to a new site: Visit DLMSY on WordPress.

Return to main page of Don't Let Me Stop You