Cops Cleared WHAT?

[LaPlaceFF]

The story is that they were taking clothes and shoes and underwear, etc. not just for themselves but for other officers as well. The stories say that many officers had been on duty non-stop for about 2-3 days at that point and had not had a change of clothes. The were to take what was needed at the wal-mart whether permission was given or not. They had permission/orders from their superiors.
The main reason they were suspended was because of their attitude and for not stopping looters. However, none of the NOPD were stopping looters anywhere in the city from what I understand. The local papers/radio say that the key reason for the punishment was the attitude and the perception that the video gave the country.

I disagree with the way it was handled but I do tend to cut them some slack. They were in a disaster area, many cops had deserted, the streets were becoming more like a war zone than an American city and the ones that were left were trying to survive right along with everybody else. It is easy to respond to a video while sitting in judgement either far away or far after the event. You may have a different perspective had you been there. I was not their so I cannot judge the actions. I have heard many people on this board state 'YOu just cant tell what is going on by the videos/pictures" My question is this: Could this case be one where the camera and the reporter does not show the "whole story" I will leave ya'll to answer that one but for me. I simply cannot pass that judgement.
Tim

An excellent point, Tim

[Lindaloo]

Tim,

I do not remember seeing any clothes in their buggy. ALOT of the force over there are not particularly happy with what happened. Most of them did not dessert their post. We ALL went through living hell. Law Enforcement all along the gulf coast went through this, including some that survived in bushes thinking they were going to die. I did not see nor hear about any of them looting but were protecting citizens even though they lost everything. They were out stopping looters here. They stood by each other. So I am sorry, I have a hard time showing sympathy for them. Frankly, I think all of them should be brought before a tribunal. And yeah, I would want those cops protecting me during a time of crisis, NOT!! Maybe it was like a war zone because the force over there was doing the same darn thing.

To state the facts, New Orleans PD is as corrupt as their school system.

[greeng13]

Agreed Lindaloo

[LSU2001]

LIndaloo I can agree with you on everything you say but remember the MGC is not a Large Metro Area with tremendous population of Poor. I know the cops are mad and I know the MGC cops did a wonderful job. I have heard great and sorrowful stories from some of them. I only know for a fact that I do not have all the info from the story because I was not There.
Tim

BTW I was so sorry to hear of Mike Byrds Sons Accident. I really like Mike and the Whole family.

[Lindaloo]

I agree with you Tim.

Thanks for the condolences. Baby Byrd was a great loss to my community. He was an outstanding officer and will be sorley missed!

He was enroute to the hospital to be with his sister during the birth of her baby.

[Audrey2Katrina]

To state the facts, New Orleans PD is as corrupt as their school system.

Sad, but true!

A2K

[Cookiely]

The story is that they were taking clothes and shoes and underwear, etc. not just for themselves but for other officers as well. The stories say that many officers had been on duty non-stop for about 2-3 days at that point and had not had a change of clothes. The were to take what was needed at the wal-mart whether permission was given or not. They had permission/orders from their superiors.
The main reason they were suspended was because of their attitude and for not stopping looters. However, none of the NOPD were stopping looters anywhere in the city from what I understand. The local papers/radio say that the key reason for the punishment was the attitude and the perception that the video gave the country.

I disagree with the way it was handled but I do tend to cut them some slack. They were in a disaster area, many cops had deserted, the streets were becoming more like a war zone than an American city and the ones that were left were trying to survive right along with everybody else. It is easy to respond to a video while sitting in judgement either far away or far after the event. You may have a different perspective had you been there. I was not their so I cannot judge the actions. I have heard many people on this board state 'YOu just cant tell what is going on by the videos/pictures" My question is this: Could this case be one where the camera and the reporter does not show the "whole story" I will leave ya'll to answer that one but for me. I simply cannot pass that judgement.
Tim

When I first saw the video, I was disgusted by the cops behavior, but after reflection, I've changed my mind.
I would certainly not expect two or three cops to stop a hundred people looting a store. I too would cut them some slack in a disaster of this magnitude. The breakdown in communication left the police in an untenable position.

[Lindaloo]

Okay, two or three cops? This was a Metro area. Oh yeah, some of them broke camp and disappeared. Breakdown in communication? There was no communication problems in New Orleans as far as dispatching goes. So, that is not valid IMO either. Next? lol.

Those two booty shaking cops were a disgrace to me as a woman and certainly a bigger disgrace to the entire law enforcement community!

[caribepr]

After Hugo (on St. Croix, but not unknown elsewhere), many government workers (including the head of the govt. second in command for the VI's) were taking everything they could get their hands on...riding around in trucks with guns aimed outward (at the behest of their bosses - I can't say what their personal motives were). One of my favorite stories was, quite a few weeks after the hurricane, this woman called a friend of mine, a carpenter, telling him her kitchen shelves had fallen off the walls. He went over, thinking, weakend wood, plaster. NOT! The cabinets were loaded with tons of KMart dishware, way too much load for the cabinets...
Yeah...it's all wrong and completely disgusting. But in the midst of insanity, people show aspects of themselves that maybe they didn't even know existed. Just to keep perspective, that works in the positive way as well. How many stories of people risking their lives, doing good for each other, we'll most likely never hear, because they rarely make the news. But they do exist, absolutely, as anyone who has been in a disaster knows. Thank god.

[Audrey2Katrina]

People who "exploit" the tragedies of others, are among the lowest scum on the Earth... not pointing at anyone in particular; but just my opinion on this breed of debris in general.

A2K

[Jim Cantore]

What a disgrace in my opinion

[Dionne]

There were numerous situations where law enforcement just let things go during the first hours after landfall.

In the early morning hours of August 30 before sunrise, I encountered several MHP roadblocks as I was heading south. I was told the roads were blocked by falling trees and power lines. When I explained that my daughter was trapped in her home. And that we were carrying numerous supplies and rescue equipment......they just looked the other way. We left him with bottled water....as a bribe.....and continued on. Traveling was very dangerous. Eventually we figured out the power lines didn't matter.....the entire grid was down. We cut trees for just enough room for one vehicle to slip through.

Less than 24 hours later we were evacuating north and encountered the same roadblock.....The same trooper was still there.
He was alone and tired. But pleased to discover you could get through.....barely.

[Pearl River]

Actually, there were some communications breakdowns in N.O.. St Tammany was the only area that did not lose their radio communications and they turned over one of their channels to NOPD to use.

Prior to Katrina, NOPD was already several hundred officers short and because of a residency requirement law, you could not be hired by NOPD if you lived outside of Orleans Parish. If you were an officer and moved outside of the parish, you were not eligable for advancement. This alone did not give you many to choose from. Several went to other agencies for higher pay. Since Katrina, the law has been suspended, but not repealed.

Most of the NOPD officers worked for 2 straight weeks without and relief or time off, as it was alo the same with many other law enforcement agencies here. I'm sure it was the same on the coast. I'm not making an excuse for them, but until you walk in their shoes and face what they face day in and day out, the goods ones need to given a pat on the back and not bunched in with the smaller amount of bad seeds.

As is typical of the news media, only the bad is shown and not the good.

[Lindaloo]

No one has ever lumped them into one group Pearl River, so I don't know where you get that from. They are sworn in to uphold the law. They are supposed to be getting continuing education in law enforcement. They were SUPPOSED to be trained to handle a time of crisis. Guess there was only two that made the media.

[Pearl River]

There are bad cops in just about every agency. I didn't say anyone lumped them into one group, but to not show the good along with the bad makes a lot of people believe most cops are bad, which a lot of people already believe.

They do get continuing education, and yes they are trained to handle situations. But in this situation, which no one has ever had to deal with before, there are breakdowns. An NOPD Public Information Officer committed suicide when he found his family had drowned.

The ones that broke the law should be prosecuted to the fullest extent, which a few have been indicted already.

[Lindaloo]

I know the difference between good and bad cops.

[Pearl River]

I was not signaling you out, I was making a blanket statement. There are others, and I'm not saying they are on this site, who believe most cops are crooked. I know the difference between good and bad cops too. I sat on the other end of 911 phone calls with parents screaming that their child or loved one has committed suicide. My brother-in-law just quit the sheriff's office here. He came within a 16th of an inch of having his head blown off chasing 3 subjects who shoplifted a carton of cigarettes. All I'm saying is there were some alledgedly crooked cops in that video, but no one mentions the good ones and the outstanding job they did.

[Lindaloo]

Yeah, I know.