New Orleans police fire 51 for desertion amid hurricane

NEW ORLEANS -- Fifty-one members of the New Orleans Police Department -- 45 officers and six civilian employees -- were fired Friday for abandoning their posts before or after Hurricane Katrina.

"They were terminated due to them abandoning the department prior to the storm," acting superintendent Warren Riley said. "They either left before the hurricane or 10 to 12 days after the storm and we have never heard from them."

Police were unable to account for 240 officers on the 1,450-member force following Katrina.

The mass firing was the first action taken against the missing officers. Another 15 officers resigned when placed under investigation for abandonment.

Lt. David Benelli, president of the New Orleans police union, said he had no sympathy for those who abandoned their post.

"The worst thing you can call a police officer is a deserter," Benelli said.

None of the officers had contacted the union about fighting the dismissals, he said.

Two former New Orleans police officers and a New Orleans firefighter were rejected for jobs in the Dallas Police Department because of allegations they deserted their jobs during Hurricane Katrina.

"When you are ready and take an oath of office and you do not fulfill that office, that's an issue for us and it should be an issue for law enforcement in general," Dallas Deputy Chief Floyd Simpson said Thursday.

Hearings for the New Orleans officers that remain under investigation for abandonment will begin Nov. 8 and last four to six months, Riley said.

The department is also investigating the beating of a man during his arrest and the assault on an Associated Press television producer.

"It's still ongoing, but we hope to have a conclusion within a few weeks," Riley said.