Posted on 09/03/2005 9:26:08 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 3 - Reeling from the chaos of this overwhelmed city, at least 200 New Orleans police officers have walked away from their jobs and two have committed suicide, police officials said Saturday.
Some officers officially told their superiors they were leaving, police officials said. Others worked for a while and then stopped showing up. Still others, for reasons not always clear, never made it in after the storm.
The absences come during a period of extraordinary stress for the New Orleans Police Department. For nearly a week, many of its 1,500 members have had to work around the clock, trying to cope with flooding, an overwhelming crush of refugees, looters and occasional snipers.
P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police, said most of his officers were staying at their posts. But in an unusual note of sympathy for a top police official, he said it was understandable that many were frustrated. He said morale was "not very good" after nearly a week of deprivation and danger.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Morning I,
Ther is an old ephithet, "Eveybody loves a winner, but no one likes a quitter."
The feds should have been monitoring the underhanded practices of both those in law enforcement and the city/state government in NO/La. Time for some indictments and prosecutions to move forward, unhindered by the pitiful cries of racism from any racial group.
In fighting crime one must shoot first, to stop the perps in action. Criminals and Criminality are an Equal Opportunity Employer.
"Do What Must Be Done"
NSNR-CSAOTL
The Fire Department in NO has certainly outshone the NOPD and I have seen them in boats working feverishly to contain the arson. I do not hold it against the FD for upholding morale and rewarding their hard work and making the comparison between the PD and FD even more obvious.
Don't begrudge the few NO public servants who behaved honorably and even heroically this atta boy!
Arthel told of a relative who is a NOPD officer who was FIRED and told that there probably wouldn't be a functioning Police Department for 5 years and should hand in his badge!
I am surprised no one else on this thread has noted this interview, but perhaps all Freepers are not as obsessive as me -- watching coverage all waking hours!
I saw it. I thought a lot of people saw it. I was mistaken.
Do you think the police are immune to the horrific situation down there? They are human just like we are and some of them probably were overcome by the devistation they've encountered. Consider me a boot licker.
Good lord,
Actually having to DO something to earn one's paycheck????
Scandalous.... (sarc/off)
Morning CAP,
Yours words ring true as to the incompetents, who aready seek to blame President Bush.
There are leaders in any Police Department, though they may not wear the rank. Someone should have stepped up and took charge to thwart the lawless, looting, rapes and murders.
Soldiers who quit in combat or otherwise, are dealt with severely. So should the officers, who ran or quit with the yellow streak running up and down their spines.
When one takes an obligation as a Peace Officer, to Protect and Serve they should be held accountable for their actions. I think some of the PO's based on the hiring practices would have been better employed with the anarchists.
If Gore were President now, we would all be wearing Burkas and attending the mosque daily.
Better Yet, all you people in the other states must abandon your homes and give them to these refugees.
Mr "Mentally Unbalanced" Gore would have really F'ed this situation up.
Maybe the DNC will make a political movie concerning the looting, raping and murdering that has taken place in NO.
The title, " Hero(s) of the Revolution." Main characters, Stanko-Blanco- Mackin-Nagin and Not Me-Landrieu, to include those poor downtrodden (EMER-Card Shoppers,Murderers, Rapists)***** Anarchists*****
The actions of those thugs, will hurt many of the decent and good people of NO. (Incomptetence only breeds incompetence)
"Words From The Street and Clipping To The Beat"
NSNR-MS-14
There is a God. You don't know how much your post meant to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
WHY DIDN'T GEORGE BUSH DO A BETTER JOB OF HIRING THESE OFFICERS?????
You are joking, right? Bush does not hire these guys.
I suppose the next thing you're going to tell me is that he didn't mean to send that Cat 4 hurricane into a poor Democratic city populated mostly be persons of color.
The city might be closed for a few months, so sales tax revenue will drop; but real estate taxes should rise considerably due to the sudden increase in waterfront property.
That is true. Our neighbor has some buddies that are former Swat Team guys in Houston who went to NO to help but ended up leaving because there was nothing they could do. Apparently some of the NO officers they found were actually starving. They had no communications, no food, no water and ran out of bullets during a 5 hour fire fight with gangs. It came down to hand to hand combat.
In another area they entered they were ready to board the boats to evacuate people and take out anyone shooting at them. There was NO ONE in charge, NO ONE who could give them permission to do what they're trained to do.
They finally gave up and came back to Houston.
This is my first laptop and it's simply a matter of adapting to the "unnatural position" my hands have to assume to achieve my mission.
We had a guy in that class that could type a hundred words a minute on one of those old Royal mechanical typewriters. It wasn't Niagara Falls, but it was amazing to see.
Morning CWB,
I am afraid your logic as to Blanco/Nagin receiving the black vote is wrong. She/He will be be re-elected by the same voters.
Your analysis of the debacle that occurred in NO
is the result of incompetence and liberalism at it's best in motion. I still see all the buses stting in the three parking lots unused for evac.
Both Blanco and Nagin should be indicted for reckless endangerment and negligent homicide.Per(looting,rapes&murders) and not declaring a state of emergency(Martial Law)initially.
Blanco&Nagin were totally derelict in their duties in looking out for the safety and well being of the citizens of NO.
After all this gross incompetence, both Blanco&Nagin will be voted back in office again. Memories of, Marion "Crackpipe" Berry the distinquished mayor of D.C. come to mind.
It is sad that some will never leave the DNC controlled plantation. I woke up!! "I left them high and dry."
Take care, "Gotta Go Ride The White Horse"
NSNR-CSAOTL
Morning Rednek,
Thanks for the info and the Feds should, "Do What Must Be Done."
7.62 NATO,
NSNR-AM
Mary Landrieu: I'll Punch Bush, 'Literally'
Sen. Mary Landrieu threatened the president of the United States with physical violence on Sunday, saying that if he or any other government official criticizes New Orleans police for failing to keep civil order in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - "I might likely have to punch him - literally."
"If one person criticizes [our sheriffs], or says one more thing, including the president of the United States, he will hear from me - one more word about it after this show airs and I - I might likely have to punch him - literally," Landrieu railed on "ABC's "This Week."
I beleive proud Mary is nearing the edge....
You ever seen the New Orleans Police Department pay scales? The highest ranked patrol office, a Police Officer level 4, has a base pay of $32,500. That is $4000 less than a Kansas City Police probationary office makes. Once off probation, a KCPD officer with one year experience's base salary is $38,304 or slightly less than a New Orleans Police Lieutenant. I have a friend, a retired Chicago Police officer, who makes more in retirement pay than a New Orleans police captain. His son, a CPD major crimes detective, makes well over twice what a New Orleans sergeant makes. You do not attract the best and brightest to police work with salaries like that. And the fact that they had problems filling the ranks isn't surprising at all.
If you steal a police car to save yourself you're a piece of crap.
If the cops had commandeered a bus and rescued a neighborhood they would be heroes.
and btw... they could have kept their unis on too.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.