A Open Letter to the Police Association of New Orleans (PANO):
Dear Police Association of New Orleans:
You recently published an Open Letter to the City of New Orleans, discussing "Discontent within the NOPD." This letter requires a bit more detailed response than simply ignoring your opinion.
Before you fire another broadside, blaming city government for the city's crime problems, some things for you to consider:
Two former NOPD officers are on death row (one each federal and state)
Five former NOPD officers were convicted in the Danziger Bridge Incident post-Katrina
One former NOPD officer is serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for killing Henry Glover post-Katrina, and another is doing 17 years for setting his body on fire post-mortem.
"Paid Detail" scandals have plagued NOPD for decades and have totally eroded any professional credibility your members think they have.
As I sit in a local coffee shop writing this, there are four NOPD officers sitting three tables away. I'm not sure which of the four are:
- The officer capable of shooting me, later claiming it was a mistake
- The officer who will take my body up to the levee and burn it to cover the tracks of the shooter
- The officer who will doctor the reports to cover up the actions of the first two
- The officer who is lying to the city and the department about his "paid detail" income
See to your own house first, PANO. Develop some standards of professional integrity and work to restore your membership's credibility in the city before you attack others.
