JURIST - Paper Chase: New Orleans Police Department fires 45 officers for desertion during Katrina

[JURIST] The New Orleans Police Department fired 45 police officers and 6 other employees Friday after investigators concluded they had improperly abandoned their duties during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina [JURIST news archive] without giving 14 days notice as required by regulations. A total of of 240 officers out of the 1450-member force are under investigation [JURIST report] after being listed as missing during Katrina's fallout; the investigations will culminate in hearings beginning on November 8 that are expected to take 4-6 months to complete. The fired officers have no chance at appeal. Fifteen other officers under investigation have already resigned, and another 45 not under investigation resigned for personal reasons. The president of the New Orleans police union did not defend those accused of abandoning their duties, saying, "the worst thing you can call a police officer is a deserter." AP has more.

For a one-stop snapshot of the latest legal news that matters, with breaking documents, new legal videos, live law-related webcasts, commentary by expert law professors and more - all updated through the day in real time, with no ads and no registration barriers - visit JURIST's homepage and check back often...