The*Empress
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WHY??
After 9/11 tragic,
People favor Bush, Republican Sen. Giulani (sp?), and firemen...
Now since after Hurricane Katrina...
People hate Bush, Mayor Nagin, and Governor...
And now this...
Updated: 02:18 PM EDT
249 New Orleans Police Officers Left Posts
By JULIA SILVERMAN, AP
NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 27) - About 250 police officers - roughly 15 percent of the force - will be investigated for leaving their posts without permission during Hurricane Katrina and the storm's chaotic aftermath, a deputy police chief said Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Warren Riley said each case will be investigated individually to determine which officers were truly deserters and which had legitimate reasons for being absent.
"Everything will be done on a case-by-case basis. The worse thing we could do is take disciplinary action against someone who was stranded in the storm or whose child is missing," Riley said.
The officers who are on a list will be investigated by the department's internal affairs bureau and then referred to a review board that will likely include police commanders and civilians, Riley said.
Also on Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said 885 bodies of Katrina victims had been recovered, up from 841 as of Friday.
Mayor Ray Nagin told The Times-Picayune, which first reported the plan to review the missing officers' cases, that the city attorney's office will ensure that it falls within civil service regulations. The department has about 1,700 officers.
Lt. David Benelli, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, the union for rank-and-file officers, said true deserters should be fired.
"For those who left because of cowardice, they don't need to be here," Benelli told the paper. "If you're a deserter and you deserted your post for no other reason than you were scared, then you left the department and I don't see any need for you to come back."
But Benelli said he believes only a small fraction of the officers will wind up being deserters.
"We know there were people who flat-out deserted," he said. "But we also know there were officers who had to make critical decisions about what to do with their families.
Telephone calls from The Associated Press to the police department, the mayor's office and the police union were not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Some lost their homes and some are looking for their families. "Some simply left because they said they could not deal with the catastrophe," Riley said.
Tuesday marked the second day of the official reopening of New Orleans, which had been pushed back last week when Hurricane Rita threatened. Nagin welcomed residents back to the Algiers neighborhood on Monday, but imposed a curfew and warned of limited services.
A steady line of cars waited 20 to 25 minutes Monday to get through police checkpoints into the neighborhood of 57,000 people that largely escaped Katrina's destruction, said police spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo. Defillo had no estimate of how many people had returned.
Only scattered handfuls of people even bothered to return to neighboring St. Bernard Parish. They came to salvage what they could from homes where the waters from Hurricane Katrina topped the attics, where mold is blooming on the walls and toxic sludge covers the floors. Many said they wouldn't be back, not after the double blow of Katrina and Rita, which reflooded parts of the parish.
"There's just too much devastation," said Dionne Thiel who wept in the middle of her block. "There's no way we could rebuild all this."
Nagin also invited business owners in the central business district, the French Quarter and the Uptown section to inspect their property and clean up. But he gave no timetable for reopening those parts of the city to residents.
Power has been restored to portions of New Orleans, including Algiers, the French Quarter and the Central Business District, said Entergy Corp. spokesman Chanel Lagarde. The utility planned to restore power to parts of Uptown on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, pumps were draining water from the Ninth Ward, an area reflooded by during Hurricane Rita. The water receded to 2 to 4 feet in the neighborhood by Tuesday, said Mitch Frazier, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Leader of New Orleans Police Resigns By JULIA SILVERMAN, Associated Press Writer
9 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS - Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force was wracked by desertions and disorganization in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
"I served this department for 26 years and have taken it through some of the toughest times of its history. Every man in a leadership position must know when it's time to hand over the reins," Compass said at a news conference. "I'll be going on in another direction that God has for me."
As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department itself suffered a crisis. Many officers deserted their posts, and some were accused of joining in the looting that broke out. Two officers Compass described as friends committed suicide.
Neither Compass nor Mayor Ray Nagin would say whether Compass was pressured to resign.
"It's a sad day in the city of New Orleans when a hero makes a decision like this," Nagin said. "He leaves the department in pretty good shape and with a significant amount of leadership."
Lt. David Benelli, president of the union for rank-and-file New Orleans officers, said he was shocked by the resignation.
"We've been through a horrendous time," Benelli said. "We've watched the city we love be destroyed. That is pressure you can't believe."
Benelli would not criticize Compass.
"You can talk about lack of organization, but we have been through two hurricanes, there was no communications, problems everywhere," he said. "I think the fact that we did not lose control of the city is a testament to his leadership."
Earlier in the day, the department said that about 250 police officers — roughly 15 percent of the force — could face discipline for leaving their posts without permission during Katrina and its aftermath.
Each case will be investigated to determine whether the officer was truly a deserter or had legitimate reasons to be absent, Deputy Chief Warren Riley said.
"Everything will be done on a case-by-case basis. The worst thing we could do is take disciplinary action against someone who was stranded in the storm or whose child is missing," Riley said.
Sally Forman, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said it is not clear whether the deserters can be fired. She said the city is still looking into the civil service regulations.
Benelli said true deserters should be fired.
"For those who left because of cowardice, they don't need to be here," Benelli told the paper. "If you're a deserter and you deserted your post for no other reason than you were scared, then you left the department and I don't see any need for you to come back."
But Benelli said he believes only a small fraction of the officers will wind up being deserters.
"We know there were people who flat-out deserted," he said. "But we also know there were officers who had to make critical decisions about what to do with their families."
Riley said some officers lost their homes and some are looking for their families. "Some simply left because they said they could not deal with the catastrophe," Riley said.
Also on Tuesday, the state Health Department said Katrina's death toll in Louisiana stood at 885, up from 841 as of Friday.
Tuesday marked the second day of the official reopening of New Orleans, which had been pushed back last week when Hurricane Rita threatened. Nagin welcomed residents back to the Algiers neighborhood on Monday but imposed a curfew and warned of limited services.
Nagin also invited business owners in the central business district, the French Quarter and the Uptown section to inspect their property and clean up. But he gave no timetable for reopening those parts of the city to residents.
After 9/11 tragic,
People favor Bush, Republican Sen. Giulani (sp?), and firemen...
Now since after Hurricane Katrina...
People hate Bush, Mayor Nagin, and Governor...
And now this...
Updated: 02:18 PM EDT
249 New Orleans Police Officers Left Posts
By JULIA SILVERMAN, AP
NEW ORLEANS (Sept. 27) - About 250 police officers - roughly 15 percent of the force - will be investigated for leaving their posts without permission during Hurricane Katrina and the storm's chaotic aftermath, a deputy police chief said Tuesday.
Deputy Chief Warren Riley said each case will be investigated individually to determine which officers were truly deserters and which had legitimate reasons for being absent.
"Everything will be done on a case-by-case basis. The worse thing we could do is take disciplinary action against someone who was stranded in the storm or whose child is missing," Riley said.
The officers who are on a list will be investigated by the department's internal affairs bureau and then referred to a review board that will likely include police commanders and civilians, Riley said.
Also on Tuesday, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said 885 bodies of Katrina victims had been recovered, up from 841 as of Friday.
Mayor Ray Nagin told The Times-Picayune, which first reported the plan to review the missing officers' cases, that the city attorney's office will ensure that it falls within civil service regulations. The department has about 1,700 officers.
Lt. David Benelli, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, the union for rank-and-file officers, said true deserters should be fired.
"For those who left because of cowardice, they don't need to be here," Benelli told the paper. "If you're a deserter and you deserted your post for no other reason than you were scared, then you left the department and I don't see any need for you to come back."
But Benelli said he believes only a small fraction of the officers will wind up being deserters.
"We know there were people who flat-out deserted," he said. "But we also know there were officers who had to make critical decisions about what to do with their families.
Telephone calls from The Associated Press to the police department, the mayor's office and the police union were not immediately returned on Tuesday.
Some lost their homes and some are looking for their families. "Some simply left because they said they could not deal with the catastrophe," Riley said.
Tuesday marked the second day of the official reopening of New Orleans, which had been pushed back last week when Hurricane Rita threatened. Nagin welcomed residents back to the Algiers neighborhood on Monday, but imposed a curfew and warned of limited services.
A steady line of cars waited 20 to 25 minutes Monday to get through police checkpoints into the neighborhood of 57,000 people that largely escaped Katrina's destruction, said police spokesman Capt. Marlon Defillo. Defillo had no estimate of how many people had returned.
Only scattered handfuls of people even bothered to return to neighboring St. Bernard Parish. They came to salvage what they could from homes where the waters from Hurricane Katrina topped the attics, where mold is blooming on the walls and toxic sludge covers the floors. Many said they wouldn't be back, not after the double blow of Katrina and Rita, which reflooded parts of the parish.
"There's just too much devastation," said Dionne Thiel who wept in the middle of her block. "There's no way we could rebuild all this."
Nagin also invited business owners in the central business district, the French Quarter and the Uptown section to inspect their property and clean up. But he gave no timetable for reopening those parts of the city to residents.
Power has been restored to portions of New Orleans, including Algiers, the French Quarter and the Central Business District, said Entergy Corp. spokesman Chanel Lagarde. The utility planned to restore power to parts of Uptown on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, pumps were draining water from the Ninth Ward, an area reflooded by during Hurricane Rita. The water receded to 2 to 4 feet in the neighborhood by Tuesday, said Mitch Frazier, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Leader of New Orleans Police Resigns By JULIA SILVERMAN, Associated Press Writer
9 minutes ago
NEW ORLEANS - Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned Tuesday after four turbulent weeks in which the police force was wracked by desertions and disorganization in Hurricane Katrina's aftermath.
"I served this department for 26 years and have taken it through some of the toughest times of its history. Every man in a leadership position must know when it's time to hand over the reins," Compass said at a news conference. "I'll be going on in another direction that God has for me."
As the city slipped into anarchy during the first few days after Katrina, the 1,700-member police department itself suffered a crisis. Many officers deserted their posts, and some were accused of joining in the looting that broke out. Two officers Compass described as friends committed suicide.
Neither Compass nor Mayor Ray Nagin would say whether Compass was pressured to resign.
"It's a sad day in the city of New Orleans when a hero makes a decision like this," Nagin said. "He leaves the department in pretty good shape and with a significant amount of leadership."
Lt. David Benelli, president of the union for rank-and-file New Orleans officers, said he was shocked by the resignation.
"We've been through a horrendous time," Benelli said. "We've watched the city we love be destroyed. That is pressure you can't believe."
Benelli would not criticize Compass.
"You can talk about lack of organization, but we have been through two hurricanes, there was no communications, problems everywhere," he said. "I think the fact that we did not lose control of the city is a testament to his leadership."
Earlier in the day, the department said that about 250 police officers — roughly 15 percent of the force — could face discipline for leaving their posts without permission during Katrina and its aftermath.
Each case will be investigated to determine whether the officer was truly a deserter or had legitimate reasons to be absent, Deputy Chief Warren Riley said.
"Everything will be done on a case-by-case basis. The worst thing we could do is take disciplinary action against someone who was stranded in the storm or whose child is missing," Riley said.
Sally Forman, a spokeswoman for the mayor, said it is not clear whether the deserters can be fired. She said the city is still looking into the civil service regulations.
Benelli said true deserters should be fired.
"For those who left because of cowardice, they don't need to be here," Benelli told the paper. "If you're a deserter and you deserted your post for no other reason than you were scared, then you left the department and I don't see any need for you to come back."
But Benelli said he believes only a small fraction of the officers will wind up being deserters.
"We know there were people who flat-out deserted," he said. "But we also know there were officers who had to make critical decisions about what to do with their families."
Riley said some officers lost their homes and some are looking for their families. "Some simply left because they said they could not deal with the catastrophe," Riley said.
Also on Tuesday, the state Health Department said Katrina's death toll in Louisiana stood at 885, up from 841 as of Friday.
Tuesday marked the second day of the official reopening of New Orleans, which had been pushed back last week when Hurricane Rita threatened. Nagin welcomed residents back to the Algiers neighborhood on Monday but imposed a curfew and warned of limited services.
Nagin also invited business owners in the central business district, the French Quarter and the Uptown section to inspect their property and clean up. But he gave no timetable for reopening those parts of the city to residents.