NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 28 -- The beleaguered New Orleans Police Department on Friday fired 45 officers and six civilian employees accused of abandoning their posts while the city was descending into violent chaos in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The firings, along with the resignations of another 15 officers, added to the woes of a department already reeling from the resignation of its chief and the scandals unleashed by videos of officers looting stores during the storm and the recent beating of a retired schoolteacher during an arrest in the French Quarter.
More firings could be in the offing, because 228 officers are still under investigation for failing to report to duty during the height of the crisis, said Capt. Marlon Defillo, a New Orleans Police Department spokesman. A tribunal composed of civilians and high-ranking police officials, which has yet to be empanelled, will hear the cases of officers accused of abandoning the force.
The 51 department members fired Friday have not faced a tribunal because they are missing and have not reported to their superiors.
Washington Post