"A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid; it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last."- Joseph Fort Newton

http://willibys-corruptjustice.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-orleans-police-department.html

Accountability. You've heard the word. You know it's a good thing. You know we need it in New Orleans. But what is it? And how can we get it?

N.O.P.D.

Accountability: "It is a fundamental principal of a democratic society that the police should be held to account for their actions. Accountability includes both what the police do and how they perform. Agency-level accountability involves the performance of law enforcement agencies with respect to controlling crime and disorder and providing services to the public (National Institute of Justice, 1999). Individual-level accountability involves the conduct of police officers with respect to lawful, respectful, and equal treatment of citizens."- Samuel Walker, National Institute of Justice

Walker's analysis of police accountability focuses on the following set of accountability procedures:

• Having firm policies regarding the authority involved in the office of a police officer
• Encouraging supervisors to routinely monitor officers
• Regulated evaluations of individual officer performance
• Programs that are designed to intercept performance problems before they begin
• Strict policies relating to allegations of misconduct or infractions by officers

These procedures could serve as a basis for encouraging transparency within the N.O.P.D. Although the force is strained in the post-Katrina environment, policies on hiring should not become more flexible. It is important to ensure that each new officer hired passes rigorous background checks, psychological testing, and intensive training courses before they are permitted to join the force. Each officer, even those that have been in the force for many years, should be trained annually about the meaning and importance of being a police officer. The more these officers understand the significance behind their position and how imperative accountability is to what they do, the more likely they are to not only move away from corruption, but also to encourage their fellow officers to follow their example. This is what we call in international development projects, a bottom up approach to solving a problem. This means that the education is done from within a community, rather than from a higher source (which is called a top down approach).

Supervisors should also be monitoring their officers more carefully and doing routine performance evaluations. The officers who do not meet strict standards, including mental, physical, and emotional evaluations, should not be allowed to serve within the force. Officers should also be required to participate in anti-corruption diversion programs that would be targeted at stopping corruption before it occurs. These programs could include subjects such as safety, financial management, community involvement, youth education, and disaster management. Strict consequences, such as probation and loss of privileges, should be implemented for any allegations of misconduct. Officers who have been accused of serious crimes, such as murder and rape, should not be allowed to return to the force.

Henry Glover: Victim of the N.O.P.D.?

Edna Glover, Mother of Henry Glover, 31. His charred remains were found in September 2009, about a week after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

"The things that happened with the police department during Katrina were shocking. They were disturbing. I wish I could say they were aberrant. But they were not. They are what happens when you have a department that is deeply troubled."- Mary Howell, civil rights attorney in New Orleans, The Nation

This video shows the charred remains of Henry Glover, including his skull complete with a gaping hole, in a burnt out car. The scenes in the video were taken by two Pittsburgh private detectives who came to New Orleans following Katrina to help out with security. It includes Nagin's first public comments about the case, in which a reporter asks Nagin if it concerns him that it took the N.O.P.D. over three years to investigate the death of Henry Glover after his remains were first discovered. Nagin was unsympathetic, saying "Well, we had a little event called Hurricane Katrina, so it took us a little time to get through all the issues. We've had many claims, but this one seems like it has a little more legs and, therefore, the FBI is involved." - The Pittsburgh Channel

Remains of Henry Glover were found in this car on the levee near the New Orleans 4th District Police Station, Times-Picayune

Yes, the F.B.I. is definitely involved. In fact, the case is the subject of a federal probe into the N.O.P.D., which has included questioning witnesses and officers involved and seizing files from the N.O.P.D.'s homicide division. Multiple New Orleans police officers are being questioned in connection to the case.

On September 2, 2005, Henry Glover was shot in Algiers by an unknown assailant (possibly even an N.O.P.D. officer, as questioned by the Times- Picayune). William Tanner was driving nearby in his 2002 white Chevy Malibu, when he came across a bleeding Glover, along with Glover's friend Bernard Calloway and Glover's brother Edward King, who explained to Tanner what happened and begged for help. Tanner, a complete stranger, agreed and decided that Glover was too wounded to make it to the nearest hospital. Instead, he drove Glover and the other men to Paul B. Habans Elementary School. The N.O.P.D. had set up a temporary base for their SWAT team at the school, and Tanner thought they would be able to provide Glover with a faster route to medical help. But this is where their devastating situation became even worse. (story first reported by The Nation)

"You wear a badge that says protect and serve. Who were you serving at this time?"- William Tanner, WDSU

(Photo: Nola.com)

The N.O.P.D. officers were not protecting or serving these citizens of New Orleans. They assumed Glover had been shot because he had been looting, and treated the men like criminals. The men pleaded with the officers to help Glover, who remained wounded in the backseat of Tanner's car, but instead the three other men were handcuffed by the officers. The men say five white officers were present, and they ignored the bleeding Glover and spent the next twenty minutes beating and berating the three men. "Tanner and King say that they, along with Calloway, were seated on a bench and cuffed while a swarm of officers punched, slapped and berated them" (The Nation). According to Tanner's account, he was even beat in the face with an assault rifle.

Once the officers were done beating the men, they let them go but kept Tanner's car, saying it was now under police custody. The last time Tanner saw his car intact, with the body of Henry Glover still in the backseat, was as one of the officers with two emergency flares in his pocket, drove away from the station. The car, or the burned remains of what once was the car, was found six days later less than one mile from the elementary school where the incident took place, complete with charred human remains and a partial burnt skull in the back seat. When the remains were turned over to the coroner, no skull accompanied the bone fragments, and it is still missing today. This video and all other evidence are now in custody of the F.B.I. The evidence is expected to be presented to a grand jury soon.

Accountability for these officers is extremely imperative. This crime has witness accounts, physical evidence, and motive. The evidence illustrates that the officers involved burned the car in an attempt to destroy the evidence, the body. If these Pittsburgh detectives had not stumbled upon the body with their video camera, it is unlikely that this case would have ever gained enough momentum to be investigated by the F.B.I. Even though it is four years later and this makes the case more difficult to prove, it should be considered before its statute of limitations comes about, and while witness testimonies can still be considered credible. If these officers are indicted on murder charges for this case, it could help the Danziger Bridge case be brought to justice as well.

9/11 & Hurricane Katrina: A Comparison of Police Actions

"When the flooding started in New Orleans the response was delayed. There was no one available to help the victims of Katrina when the hurricane hit New Orleans. Just minutes after the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center, New York firefighters [and police officers] hurried to the scene. Where was the help when New Orleans was flooding? Who was there to help the citizens from drowning?"- Saharra White, Associated Content

A New Orleans police officer amongst the chaos of the Superdome on September 1, 2005. http://outhouserag.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/522.jpg

Two female NYPD officers--September 11, 2001.

http://www.fema.gov/kids/images/911heroes/nypd_women.jpg

Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 terrorist attacks. The former, a natural disaster that was predicted and known of, and the latter an attack on our nation that no one saw coming. Both affected major American cities and each had over 1,000 fatalities. So why were the responses so different? Granted, these are very different types of events, yet both required immediate emergency assistance to save the lives of American citizens. Both affected our nation deeply and changed the history of their respective cities in a huge way.

An analysis performed by a consulting firm, McKinsey & Co., in 2002, highlighted the highs and lows of the response of the NYPD following the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Many of the conclusions are eerily similar to the analyses of the NOPD following Hurricane Katrina four years later. Perhaps the NOPD would have been well served to read this analysis and apply it to their own force before their questionable attempt at relief following the storm.

Highlights of the analysis (Blue)

Personal Commentary and Comparisons to Katrina (Red)

• "The New York Police Department's response to the Sept. 11 attack was effective in many areas but suffered from lapses in leadership and coordination and a lack of proper planning and training."
• This same statement, perhaps minus the "effective in many areas", could be said for the NOPD in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The NOPD had a major deficiency in leadership from Ray Nagin, the police chief, local and federal government, and FEMA. There was no game plan set forth before the storm, and as leaders scrambled to come up with one AFTER the storm hit, their delayed response caused the death of many New Orleans citizens. New Orleans police, although allegedly trained in natural disaster response, had a serious lack of planning and obviously not enough training to properly handle the chaotic conditions following the storm.
• "Many officers did not know who was in charge or whom they should report to after the attack. It also said that some officers in the field acted without direction from field commanders."
• Similarly, most NOPD officers were unaware of who to report to, or if they did, there little to no communication amongst the ranks. While many NYPD officers acted on their own judgement in a heroic fashion, rushing into burning buildings to save civilians, some NOPD officers took this severe lack of communication to mean that they had the ability to abuse their power to their liking. Many NOPD officers looted stores and homes, and some even took it a step further and committed acts as serious as murder, as in the Danziger Bridge shootings and the Henry Glover case.
• "The report, however, is measured in its findings, noting that no one could have anticipated Sept. 11 and that the department performed many tasks admirably. While leadership lapses, ineffective planning and a lack of coordination at the scene were among the most serious flaws, they did not affect what many considered to be the department's primary goal that day: the effective evacuation of the World Trade Center, saving thousands of lives."
• Here is an important distinction: THE OFFICERS OF THE NYPD HAD NO WARNING OF THE 9/11 ATTACKS. The NOPD officers were all clearly forewarned of the impending disaster, yet the NYPD were still able to handle their city's disaster in a much better manner. The main difference is that the NYPD officers did not let the chaotic conditions, lack of leadership, minimal communication, and poor planning distract them from their major goal: to protect and rescue the citizens of New York City. Where they were able to overcome these setbacks, many NOPD officers faltered. They allowed the conditions and poor planning to overcome what should have been their major goal: to protect and rescue the citizens of New Orleans.
• ''Every day police officers are faced with unimaginable situations, and every day they adapt and survive and do their jobs."- Senior Police Official, NYPD
• The NOPD were too faced with a horrific and unimaginable situation, but they were unable to properly adapt. There were some officers who did act heroically, and they should be thanked and appreciated to the fullest. But many more also forgot that it was THEIR JOB to serve and protect.
• "Despite what it called the perceived lack of a strong commander and confusion among some top officials, the report found overall that the department acted effectively in 10 of what it described as the 16 critical tasks, including the rescue of civilians, the evacuation of Lower Manhattan, traffic management, and the protection of sensitive locations around the city."
• Both NYPD officers and NOPD officers faced a lack of leadership and extremely confusing and chaotic environments, yet as evidenced by this independent analysis, the officers of the NYPD were able to overcome this in most areas. NOPD officers took advantage of this chaos to permeate the already damaged city with their corruption.

So, this analysis can be applied to the main issue: Should the choices that police officers make during a catastrophe be held to a different standard than those made in ideal conditions?

The NYPD proved that while a catastrophic event is always extremely difficult for disaster response officials, it is possible to overcome the chaotic conditions, fatigue, fear, uncertainty, lack of leadership, and poor planning, and show what it means to truly be heroes. They took the extremely abrupt and terrifying situation of 9/11 and performed with dignity and determination. They were able to unite the nation and illustrate a group of true American heroes. The NOPD had this same chance with Hurricane Katrina, yet they faltered. The storied corruption buried in the force was exposed, and instead of unifying Americans, they proved to them why Louisiana is one of the most corrupt states in our nation. In conclusion, the choices made by NOPD officers after Katrina should have consequences and should not simply be shrugged off as an effect of the storm. As citizens of New Orleans, we must stand up for transparency amongst our police officers. Because if there is another disaster even half as disastrous as Hurricane Katrina, we deserve the same help and determination as the citizens of New York City received from their police force after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

"Killing Ronald was like shooting down a child"- Lance Madison

Ronald Madison on the ground after he had been shot SEVEN times by police. Ronald was described as "having the mental capacity of a seven or eight year old child, gentle and never aggressive."

Source: http://www.thewe.cc/weplanet/news/americas/us/new_orleans_after_katrina.html

Seven N.O.P.D. officers were charged in the death of Ronald Madison and James Brissette, but their cases were dropped in 2006. However, a new federal investigation into the incident may prove that justice in New Orleans is truly possible.

RONALD MADISON: N.O.P.D. VICTIM

"He was the sunshine of our family. We really miss him. It's just unbelievable what happened. And I hope nobody has to go through what we've been through."- Lance Madison, speaking of his brother Ronald Madison, a victim of the N.O.P.D. during the Danziger Bridge Incident 

TWO SEPARATE AUTOPSIES FOUND 7 BULLET WOUNDS, INCLUDING FIVE IN HIS BACK.

SOURCE: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6063982

Katrina Autopsy: Police shot mentally disabled man in back

Ronald Madison was a 40 year old mentally disabled man who lived at home with his mother. He had no criminal record. Yet he was mercilessly gunned down by the N.O.P.D. as he attempted to cross the Danziger Bridge with his older brother Lance. the two were in search of food and shelter as their neighborhood had been severely flooded during the storm. Police claimed to have only shot him once in self-defense. Clearly, this is untrue, as at least five bullet holes alone were found in Madison's back.

The police report for this incident has been clearly altered. The last two lines are in completely different handwriting than the rest of the document. When questioned about this, the officer who added the lines, Sgt. Arthur Kaufman, said in sworn testimony, "I was told that by one of the other officers." This does not seem like justice and transparency are being achieved, or even attempted at, by the N.O.P.D.

Danziger Bridge Incident

Lance Madison is questioned by police after he and his brother were shot at by multiple N.O.P.D. officers on the Danziger Bridge on September 4, 2005. His younger brother Ronald, who was mentally handicapped, was shot seven times and died as a result of the injuries sustained.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/us/09orleans.html?_r=1&hp

WITNESS ACCOUNTS:

WITNESS TELLS OF 'KILLER COPS' DURING KATRINA SEIGE

DANZIGER BRIDGE JUSTICE?

WHAT HAPPENED ON THE DANZIGER BRIDGE

http://majikthise.typepad.com/majikthise_/new_orleans/

SO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

(Red- Known Facts; Blue- Police Claims; Green- Victim Claims)

1. Two civilians, Ronald Madison and James Barset, were shot and killed by seven N.O.P.D. officers on September 4, 2005.
2. Four other civilians were wounded on this day on the Danziger Bridge by New Orleans Police officers.
3. Police officers claimed to be responding to a call of two officers down.
4. However, this later proved to be incorrect, as there were never two officers down at the scene. In fact, this call was made by a man named David Ryder, who is a private citizen from Opelousas, LA.
5. He was posing as a police officer during the Katrina aftermath. He is the man who identified Lance Madison as a shooter, which was never verified by an actual police officer before they began shooting at him.
6. The police report also alleges that the civilians were shooting at the officers when they arrived, and the officers fired back in self-defense.
7. Lance Madison claims that he and his mentally retarded brother Ronald, who was fatally shot by an officer, were walking across the bridge to escape the flood waters when police began firing at them without ever identifying themselves.
8. The police report claims that an officer saw Lance toss a handgun into the canal.
9. Lance claims that he and his brother were unarmed.
10. The alleged weapon was never recovered. In actuality, none of the victims were ever found to be armed with a weapon of any kind.
11. The police report also alleged that Lance's brother Ronald was shot only once. They claimed he was running towards them and reached for his waist as if to draw a weapon, so they shot him only once to take him down and protect themselves.
12. Two separately performed autopsies refuted this report, finding seven bullet wounds on Ronald's body, five of them in his back.
13. The other victims of the shooting were the Bartholomew family, including 4 teens, who also claimed to be unarmed at the time of the incident.
14. The officers claim the family was hiding behind a concrete barrier and shooting at them.
15. The family claims that they were crossing the Danziger Bridge in search of shelter and supplies since their neighborhood had been completely destroyed in the storm. They also claim that the officers opened fire without giving any warning or identifying themselves.
16. One of the family members was killed, one had her arm completely shot off, and one had four gunshot wounds including two to the abdomen.
17. NO N.O.P.D. OFFICERS WERE HARMED IN EITHER OF THESE INCIDENTS WERE THEY WHERE ALLEGEDLY DEFENDING THEMSELVES, YET THEY MANAGED TO KILL TWO PEOPLE AND INJURE FOUR OTHERS.
18. The officers involved in this case were charged with murder and attempted murder, but their cases were dismissed in 2006.
19. SOURCE: WHAT HAPPENED ON NEW ORLEANS' DANZIGER BRIDGE?