October 28th, 2005 | 
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This story is a tough one. On the one hand, most of the officers were probably looking after their families, who were just as threatened as the other thousands of families in New Orleans. These cops are human, too. But, on the other hand, they were sworn to uphold the law and stay on post.
Problem is…the city of New Orleans should have had plans to deal with EXACTLY the kind of disaster that happened…sufficient levees, large and powerful (and working) pumps, a city that is NOT 7 feet below sea level, and a large enough fleet of transportation buses to move mass volumes of citizens out of harms way.
You have to uphold the law above all else…otherwise, you have anarchy…uhm…er…like New Orleans had for a bit.
Go figure.
45 New Orleans cops fired for desertion
Friday, October 28, 2005; Posted: 7:23 p.m. EDT (23:23 GMT)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) — Fifty-one members of the New Orleans Police Department — 45 officers and six civilian employees — were fired Friday for allegedly abandoning their posts before or after Hurricane Katrina.
“They were terminated due to them abandoning the department prior to the storm,” acting superintendent Warren Riley said. “They either left before the hurricane or 10 to 12 days after the storm and we have never heard from them.”
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 the missing officers. Another 15 officers resigned when placed under investigation for abandonment.
“This isn’t representative of our department,” Riley said. “We had a lot of heroes that stepped up after the storm.”
Another 45 officers resigned from the force after the August 29 storm. The resignations were for personal reasons ranging from relocation to new employment, Riley said.
The fired officers do not have the right to appeal, Riley said.
“The regulation says that if you leave the job for a period of 14 days without communication you can be terminated,” Riley said. “I don’t think they have the right to a civil service appeal.”
Lt. David Benelli, president of the New Orleans police union, said he had no sympathy for those who abandoned their post.
“The worst thing you can call a police officer is a deserter,” Benelli said.
None of the officers had contacted the union about fighting the dismissals, he said.
Two former New Orleans police officers and a New Orleans firefighter were rejected for jobs in the Dallas Police Department because of allegations they deserted their jobs during Hurricane Katrina.
“When you are ready and take an oath of office and you do not fulfill that office, that’s an issue for us and it should be an issue for law enforcement in general,” Dallas Deputy Chief Floyd Simpson said Thursday.
Hearings for the New Orleans officers that remain under investigation for abandonment will begin November 8 and last four to six months, Riley said.
The department is also investigating the beating of a man during his arrest and the alleged assault of an Associated Press television producer.
“It’s still ongoing, but we hope to have a conclusion within a few weeks,” Riley said.
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