Police Chief Says He Exaggerated Post Katrina Crime

NY Sun ^ | 8/21/06 | Cahnning Joseph

[gopwinsin04]

New Orleans police chief during Hurricane Katrina, Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears" by repeating unconfirmed reports of out-of-control crime in the city during the aftermath of the storm, adding to the confusion caused by the disaster and potentially hampering rescue efforts.

"There were reports of rapes and children being raped. I even got one report … that my daughter was raped," Mr. Compass says in a Spike Lee documentary scheduled to air on HBO tonight.

"In hindsight, I guess I heightened people's fears by me being the superintendent of police, reporting these things that were reported to me," Mr Compass said. "But there was really no way for me to check definitively. So I repeated these things without being substantiated, and it caused a lot of problems."

Officials and local commentators have long suggested that the false reports of rampant crime following the hurricane were a reason for the slowness of rescue efforts. With recovery teams and humanitarian aid groups frightened to enter the city, many storm survivors were left stranded on roofs without food and water, in makeshift rafts, and in filthy conditions at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center

In part due to the trumped-up crime reports, officials in a neighboring town — fearing the chaos would spread — responded by ordering police to shoot any evacuee who attempted to cross the Crescent City Connection bridge into the city of Gretna from New Orleans.

"I'm going to tell you that during that storm, the national media reported rampant rumors that have now turned out not to be true. … And people were terrified," Louisiana's lieutenant governor, Mitch Landrieu, says in the film.

"In my estimation, that Gretna thing was a way overreaction to rampant rumors that were being pushed in the mainstream media," he adds.

[JRochelle]

LOL!

I had forgotten about that POS!

[Paradox]

Of course, the aftermath was awful! No doubt, but alot of it was grossly exagerated.

Now, I HAVE talked to someone who lived through it, and he assures me it was as bad as one could imagine. He showed me pictures, told me his story, but basically he said that it was the peoples fault, because the KNEW the storm was coming, and yet the stood their ground. And this guy is a "real scientist", so he is no dummy. He basically blames himself and his neighbors. He also did NOT report any rampant crime or gang problems or anything like that, it was mostly neighbors helping neighbors. So the storm and flooding itself was as bad as reported, but the rest was exagerated.

[George Smiley]

Compass ought to be in jail for unlawfully issuing orders to disarm law-abiding citizens in a situation where arms were an absolute necessity for self-protection.

Look up "deprivation of civil rights under color of law".

[tiger63]

Thats two of our favorites!

Mee-Maw and Baby Fat!

[cyborg]

say that again chief ping

[CajunConservative]

Those two b!tches started this mess with their anti Bush posturing before the storm hit. They deserve a lot of the blame for how things went down in NOLA.

I live on the Rita side of the state, we have very competent leaders here. We are growing like gangbusters here. It's unbelievable. Of course none of the positive news gets highlighted at all.

[DustyMoment]

"There were reports of rapes and children being raped. I even got one report … that my daughter was raped," Mr. Compass says in a Spike Lee documentary scheduled to air on HBO tonight.

Would he have been so quick to spread these unproven rumors if he found out that he was rumored to be one of the rapists??

This story just keeps getting better and better. Somewhere, the Ringling Brothers AND Barnum and Bailey are rolling over in their graves as this circus continues to unfold!!

[auntyfemenist]

Yes indeed, I live on the northshore just across the lake from New Orleans. I agree, there were many more horrors that weren't reported. These few stories they are saying were false are just a drop in the bucket of the looting, killing, shooting and other horrors that really did take place.

I noticed that after the nanny-in-charge governor called for shoot to kill orders, the storied began to subside.

[Cecily]

Add Chief Moose for the trifecta of brain dead incompetence.

[CTOCS]

Re: #12

Because their spell-checker caught it!!

[Kenton]

My basement flooded the other night. I'm still waiting for my debit card from FEMA, and those bloated bodies floating around downstairs are really starting to stink.

This crap happens every year, we need a new sewer system. I'm DEFINITELY voting for a new city councilman this year.

[longtermmemmory]

I bet this goes with the phantom (federal tax dollar paid) police officers.

[mhking]

Eddie Compass, says he unnecessarily "heightened people's fears"

Oops!

[jordan8]

The rumors were started by the ordinary people, mostly black, who live there because having lived cheek to jowl with the hoods and the underclass of New Orleans they could believe anything was possible from them. The rest of the country believed because of the Watts, Detroit, LA, etc. riots.

[bruinbirdman]

"I've yet to speak to anyone who was actually there who would tell you they lived a "myth"."

Well, the ex police superintendent of NO just told the world it was a myth. Does that count?

yitbos

[bruinbirdman]

"Not only were their rapes, in hospitals of their staff, and stealing drugs from the hospitals, they, the thugs, stayed behind to loot, pillage and plunder. They were in fact, shooting at relief personnel, firefighters, police, hence,"

Who told you this stuff, the Police Superintendent who had to resign because of his lies?

yitbos

[Terridan]

If this makes you feel any better, they were "shooting to kill" BEFORE she or the military arrived, both there and here... I will never forget the feeling of relief when they arrived and covered ALL of our backs. I will be forever grateful. And God bless you and yours, stay well.

[nopardons]

bttt

[Terridan]

No, and where do you live. I tend to believe my friends and partners who asked for reinforcements, during and after the storm. Thankfully, the military arrived ALL ACROSS THE GULF COAST, AND TOOK CARE OF BUSINESS.
Of course, it is easier to believe nothing really happened. Another "out of sight, out of mind" person.

[Mo1]

"In hindsight, I guess I heightened people's fears by me being the superintendent of police, reporting these things that were reported to me," Mr Compass said. "But there was really no way for me to check definitively. So I repeated these things without being substantiated, and it caused a lot of problems."

Sounds like he is passing the buck and not taking full responsibility for his actions