New Orleans Police Fire 51 for Desertion

New Orleans Police Fire 51 for Desertion

By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer 10 minutes ago

NEW ORLEANS - Fifty-one members of the New Orleans Police Department —
45 officers and six civilian employees — were fired Friday for
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.

<clip>
Since the Aug. 29 storm, 15 officers resigned while under investigation, 45 officers resigned citing personal reasons, nine officers retired and two committed suicide, Riley said. Added to Friday's firings, the department has lost 116 officers altogether -- about 7 percent of the force -- but their absence has hardly been felt in the past month because much of the city has been emptied of citizens, dropping crime to record low levels.
<clip>
The officers under review fall into two categories: those who didn't report to duty as the storm hit and those who left without permission during the tumultuous aftermath.

Some of those who didn't report may have found themselves stuck by floodwaters or, in the case of officers who were out of town, unable to return because of the high water, Riley said. Others were at their posts as Katrina swept ashore, but later left without notifying their superiors.

"Some went to check on their families. Some went to check on their homes," Riley said. "Many of them returned within two or three days, some didn't return for 10 or 12 days. But we still have a problem with that because they should have been here and they left without permission."