NO Police LT. tries to justify his desertion during Katrina disaster (CNN transcripts)

CNN Transcrtipts ^ | 9/19/05

[Dane]

PAULA ZAHN: Well, because of all the chaos after Katrina, many New Orleans police officers, as I have just said, simply vanished. And their fellow officers called them all that and more. Well, tonight, for the first time, in an exclusive report, you're about to hear from one of those who left, a high-ranking officer, and hear why he made that choice.

Here's Jason Carroll.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing, man? Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!

(CROSSTALK)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the days of lawlessness, looting and flooding, something happened few people in New Orleans imagines was possible. Hundreds of police officers, like Lieutenant Henry Waller, abandoned their fellow officers and thousands of evacuees when they were needed most.

LT. HENRY WALLER, NEW ORLEANS POLICE DEPARTMENT: I defend it by saying that I left them in a bad situation, but I have would have been leaving my wife in a worse situation.

Snip

H. WALLER: The one time that I know that I did the right thing and made the right decision, it's going to vilify me, that's difficult to deal with.

Snip.

H. WALLER: We listened to the radio. And we're hearing the things, the water is still rising. The water is still rising. The water is still rising. The looting is this. The looting is that.

Snip

H. WALLER: I got with another lieutenant in the First District, who essentially told me, look, you're a supervisor. You can't scare these guys. If they know you're scared, they're going to be scared. And I said, flat out, I said, you know what? I am scared. Everybody here is scared. And the bottom line is, I'm not going to tell these guys everything is going to be OK when it's not going to be OK.

[FFIGHTER]

Where would our country be, if everyone had your same sense of duty. We would have no soldiers, no firemen, no policemen, we would have no country. Our country was founded on sacrifice and duty beyond oneself and one's family.

Duty, honor and country and not easily dismissive values as you suggest to many Americans, for that I am proud and thankful.

[Tennessee_Bob]

MOre than I made as a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force. My now ex-wife got mad when we had to stay late working a surge in sorties.

Part of why she's now my ex-wife.

[daku]

"he was underpaid cop whose primary instinct is to look out for his family (and as an unintentional bonus, his own comfort and safety)"

so if a drug dealer offered him some cake to look the other way ... ???

[untrained skeptic]

"Why, did their employment contracts state that they could not resign during an emergency?"

I have no idea what their employment contracts say.

I suspect that they did swear an oath to protect the people they served, but oaths are only as good as a person's word.

They can resign. They should just shouldn't be hired for another job in law enforcement or an emergency service.

When he took a job as a police officer he assumed the responsibility to be there when he's needed.

Any job requires some level of personal responsibility. Even a job flipping burgers requires you to be responsible enough to show up for work.

If you don't show up for work in a situation where you have important assigned duties, expect to be fired, and expect other employers not to want to hire you.

[FFIGHTER]

A Policeman's Prayer

Lord, I ask for courage;


Courage to face and conquer my own fears...
Courage to take me where others will not go.
I ask for strength;
Strength of body to protect others...
Strength of spirit to lead others.
I ask dedication;
Dedication to my job to do it well...
Dedication to my community to keep it safe.
Give me, Lord, concern;
For all those who trust me...
And compassion for those who need me
And, please, Lord, through it all; be at my side.

[Sloth]

They should just shouldn't be hired for another job in law enforcement or an emergency service.

I agree.

[Wristpin]

"Recruit Starting Salary is $ 25,508 with uniform allowance"

Hmmm...Better than military starting pay. 83 percent retirement after 25 years...not bad.


What do you think happens when a hurricane is bearing down on a Navy town like Norfolk. The crews take the ships to sea and the aviators fly the planes out away from the storm? They leave their families behind to do their duty.

This LT is a disgrace. The Deserters should be terminated.

[Sloth]

Any emergency responder who "resigns" during an emergency, for whatever reason, should be criminally prosecuted.

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. -- Amendment XIII

[cspackler]

I know that is selfish, and that someone has to do the job. But my family comes first. I don't blame him.

So, if you're being assaulted by a gun-wielding maniac, and a police officer comes by but decides that it's just too darn dangerous, and his family needs him, so he lets you get murdered... you're OK with that?

[FatherFig1o155]

IIRC, I read a post where there were like 25,000 men in Iraq who were lining up for just a few thousand police job openings. Hundreds of them were blown up while waiting in line to apply for the job.

I'm sure the pay is nominal in Iraq. And the level of danger immense. And yet they were there, willing to serve.

All those cops who deserted their post in N.O. do not deserve our understanding. They should be dismissed.

[Dane]

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. -- Amendment XIII

Uh sloth can you show me where the NO police desrters had a gun put up to there head to take the job of protecting and serving NO citizens?

You right wing anarchists, sloth,(i.e Libertarians) are a funny lot.

[FFIGHTER]

Post 20 from NOPD website.

[WasDougsLamb]

I guess I am kind of torn on this one. I am thinking I wouldn't know what to do unless I faced that decision too. It is a hard one to call. Of course you love your family and want whats best for them and still, you have a job that requires you stay and enforce the law. I suppose he did what he thought in his mind was best in a time of panic.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Well, tonight, for the first time, in an exclusive report, you're about to hear from one of those who left, a high-ranking officer, and hear why he made that choice.

Lieutenants are "high-ranking officers" in NO?

[johnb838]

City of NO isn't paying anybody now. They're broke.

[Sloth]

Uh sloth can you show me where the NO police desrters had a gun put up to there head to take the job of protecting and serving NO citizens?

I've already asked if the officers' employment contracts restricted when they could resign (like military enlistment). I still haven't seen an answer. If they did volunteer under such conditions, then they need to be prosecuted for that breach. Otherwise, requiring someone to work when they are unwilling is involuntary servitude, and therefore unconstitutional.

[thegreatbeast]

If you'd read the piece, you'd know his wife was in Baton Rouge with family. This guy has absolutely no excuse.

[thegreatbeast]

City of NO isn't paying anybody now. They're broke.

But rivers of cash will be overtaking NO very soon.

[Pessimist]

Just curious.. How much do they make?

[SOLTC]

What happened to the NOLA Firefighters?

From everything I've read and heard, they stayed.

What's the difference?