Wow......all I can say is Wow......good to see the NOPD is changing it's ways and improving their image as a department with integrity.......FYI in case you are wondering these are the famous police officers that can be seen in this video.....


NOPD clears cops in looting probe
They had OK to take clothing, officials say
Saturday, March 18, 2006
By Michael Perlstein
Staff writer

Four New Orleans police officers have been cleared of looting allegations stemming from a news videotape that shows them taking items from the Uptown Wal-Mart two days after Hurricane Katrina, but the officers were suspended for 10 days for failing to stop civilians from cleaning out the ransacked store, the New Orleans Police Department said Friday.

The video, shot by an MSNBC crew inside Wal-Mart, shows the officers filling a shopping cart with shoes, clothes and other items. In the background, citizens can be seen calmly looting everything from sweaters to bicycles. When a reporter asks the officers what they're doing, one of them responds, "Looking for looters." She then hastily turns her back to the camera.

Despite an avalanche of public outrage over the officers' actions, an internal investigation recently cleared them of looting allegations, said Assistant Chief Marlon Defillo, commander of the Public Integrity Bureau. He said the officers had permission from their superiors to take necessities for themselves and other officers. The New Orleans Police Department later informed Wal-Mart management, after the store had been secured, that its officers had taken some needed items, he said.

The four officers -- Olivia Fontenot, Vera Polite, Debra Prosper and Kenyatta Phillips -- were suspended for 10 days without pay for "neglect of duty" because "people can be observed illegally inside the store with property in their possession and you took no police action to prevent or stop the looting," according to their disciplinary letters. The officers are all seasoned veterans except for Phillips, a first-year rookie.

On top of her 10-day suspension, Fontenot received an additional three-day penalty for her "discourteous" response to MSNBC correspondent Fred Savidge, her disciplinary letter states.

Through a spokesperson, Superintendent Warren Riley said Friday: "It was determined that all four officers had received permission from their commanders to get clothing for fellow officers who were soaking wet. They did not steal anything."

Defillo said the officers, all assigned to the badly flooded 3rd Police District, were among the officers rescued from that district's emergency shelter at the LSU Dental School in the aftermath of the storm.

"They were putting underwear, socks and shoes in the (shopping) basket," Defillo said. "The problem we had with their actions is that there were citizens in the store taking nonessential items and these officers did nothing to prevent these citizens from looting."

A sharp exchange

In the video, the officers never offer an explanation as to why they're filling a shopping basket with merchandise. Instead, Fontenot tells Savidge that they are "looking for looters."

When Savidge points out that he can see looters everywhere, the following exchange takes place: Fontenot: "That's what I see, including you. What are you doing in here?"

Savidge: "I haven't taken anything, ma'am."

Fontenot: "But you're in the store, huh?"

The Wal-Mart store, at 1901 Tchoupitoulas St., was the site of frenzied and destructive looting the day after the storm and quickly became a symbol of the anarchy that gripped parts of the city in Katrina's aftermath. A group of Times-Picayune reporters saw a handful of officers inside the store early that afternoon taking food, clothing and some nonessential items, such as fishing poles and electronics, while dozens of other officers stood by.

The national and international media that descended on the flooded city reported isolated pockets of looting by New Orleans police at other locations, but Defillo said the department has yet to validate any of those allegations. The department cleared two other officers who were investigated for looting at Wal-Mart based on photographs, Defillo said. He said the photos of those two officers did not show other people looting, making it impossible to uphold suspensions for neglect of duty.

"There was a lot of information put out early on about looting and determining what was valid and what wasn't has been very difficult," Defillo said.

Still under scrutiny

However, two major looting investigations remain under investigation by federal authorities, Defillo said. One case involves the theft of about 200 vehicles from Sewell Cadillac Chevrolet and allegations that 3rd District commanders were involved in some of the thefts.

Another case involves a complaint from a Canal Street hotel owner that a group of officers from the now-disbanded Community Policing squad showed up with an abnormally large stash of goods, which they kept in one of the rooms they were using in the days after the storm.

Aside from those cases, though, Defillo said post-Katrina allegations of New Orleans police officers looting appear to be overblown.

"People were saying a lot of things at that time, but we had to separate fact from fiction," Defillo said. "Each of the cases that were presented to my office were thoroughly investigated and based on all the facts and circumstances, we found that officers either weren't looting or they were taking essential items. A lot of media ran stories about looting without proper validation."

However, Defillo said, if there are any other credible allegations of police wrongdoing after Katrina, his office will vigorously investigate the claims. Defillo said complainants can call (504) 568-6800, the new phone number of the Public Integrity Bureau.

'Matter of perception'

Lt. David Benelli, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, said it was easy for witnesses to misinterpret the actions of police in the chaotic environment after the storm. He said he was the target of uneasy glares when he went to the Lower 9th Ward in September and retrieved jewelry and other valuables through the window of his mother-in-law's house on Caffin Avenue.

"It's all a matter of perception," Benelli said. "There were wild aspersions that the NOPD had run amok, but a lot of these stories came out before all the facts had been gathered and investigated. We were the whipping boys right after the storm. What you don't see is, months later when a police officer is exonerated, the media coming back to do that story."

Still, given the widespread accounts of police acting unprofessionally, if not criminally, Benelli said it's probably true that some officers strayed from the law.

"There's no doubt in my mind that not all police officers, unfortunately, honored their oath of office," he said. "But it doesn't take away from the fact that the majority, the vast majority, honored that oath. And they don't deserve to be lumped in by the media with the few who didn't do the right thing."

. . . . . . .

Michael Perlstein can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3316.

umm they had permission of their superiors.. but not the OWNERs... so their boss TOLD THEM TO STEAL IT... sounds like they should all go to jail...

Why am I not surprized?

I'm not surprised.  Cops have to get caught murdering someone before they get in trouble.

<BLOW JOB>

All animals are equal.
Some are more equal than others.

The four officers -- Olivia Fontenot, Vera Polite, Debra Prosper and Kenyatta Phillips -- were suspended for 10 days without pay for "neglect of duty" because "people can be observed illegally inside the store with property in their possession and you took no police action to prevent or stop the looting," according to their disciplinary letters. The officers are all seasoned veterans except for Phillips, a first-year rookie. had no comment while watching their 51" Sony plasma TV's

If you're not cop - you're little people.

A permission slip to loot?hmmmm.Where do I get one of those?

Wow, what a shocker.  I'm so surpised I could shit.  What's next, they're going to reinstate them with full pay and the hearty congratulations of the citizens, most who are never coming back, and give them a citation for meritoious service?  One of these days the thin blue line is just going get a bit too thick for the masses to handle.  No wonder police cheifs are in favor of gun control.

Actually that ruling is WORSE than cops who loot.

And NOW I UNDERSTAND how the looting happened in the first place.

NOLA no longer has a PD, they have organized crime.

Way to raise the bar you dumb fuckers.

Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush.
Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me.

Quoted: A permission slip to loot? hmmmm.Where do I get one of those?

Here's one.

This is Grunteled's total lack of surprise.  

Funny though - on the video the short, fat, ignorant, "diverse" bitch-cop is asked point-blank if she's taking shoes and she says "No, looking for looters."

Fucking thief AND a liar. So what else is new?

Just fuckin' typical Corrupt officers from a corrupt agency get caught IN THE ACT and get a pass from the higherarchy of the NOPD and mayor Ray "Not my fault" Nagin. NO is a cesspool of coruption and greed, it looks like it could use another flushing


Ain't "Diversity" wonderful

Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me.

And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans.

Right now - they could still use another.

What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses.

I wanted to say that New Orleans officials should be embarrased.....but this pales in comparison to other corrupt bullshit out of that dungheap of a city.  

Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses.

May this hurricane season will finish NOLA off.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses. May this hurricane season will finish NOLA off.

If any city is hit big, I hope it's New Orleans.

Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans.

I would agree with you 100% on this point.

Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses.

The problem is good people live there. And it is usually "they" who suffer.

Guys like LArifleman lose their house. The shitbags go shopping.

For some reason the most vile members of any society have a "cockroach like" ability to survive and flourish in their surroundings. If NOLA was truly only "a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses" then nobody would have a problem.

But the reality is that isn't the case.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses. May this hurricane season will finish NOLA off.

I'm sure our LA members appreciate that.

It's Bush's fault!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses. Maybe this hurricane season will finish NOLA off. I'm sure our LA members appreciate that.

Bump for the morning crew.....

There's a shocker!

same lowlifes who stomped on gun owners...for their safety of course

I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items.
How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters.

That whole deal is beyond bizarre.

Quoted: Actually that ruling is WORSE than cops who loot. And NOW I UNDERSTAND how the looting happened in the first place. NOLA no longer has a PD, they have organized crime. Way to raise the bar you dumb fuckers.

I had a few comments, then I read SteyrAUG's post, realized I couldn't say it any more clearly than he did.

I used to love New Orleans.  Now I hope a crack opens in the earth and buries it in lava.

I can't believe some of you.  Lets just nuke the entire USA if Hillary Clinton is elected president.  And for eveyone who wants another hurricane to finish us off, I hope your house gets struck by lighting and everyone is bunred alive.

Can you imagine how much stuff they would have gotten if the cameras hadn't been there?

typical N.O. Bullshit.

Quoted: I can't believe some of you.  Lets just nuke the entire USA if Hillary Clinton is elected president.  And for eveyone who wants another hurricane to finish us off, I hope your house gets struck by lighting and everyone is bunred alive.

I don't think everybody (but maybe a few) want all of Louisiana to be "finished off", but let's look at the facts.
1.  We know that the NOLA region contains infrastructure that's vital to the national economy.  But I'm not including the slums, casinos and tourism trade.  Sorry, but they continued to build below sea level.  The chances of a storm taking out NOLA were well known decades before Katrina.
2.  People are rebuilding in NOLA, after they've been warned that it will happen again.
3.  Now there's considerable pressure to get the federal goobermint  to "settle" with property owners in the region.    Just like every other hurricane in every other state, I refuse to support bailouts of people who lacked the foresight to prepare (move, insure, whatever).
4.  If my house does get hit by lightning, you can bet that I'll be insured.  I won't cry on TV because "It's too expensive!".

Corruption in Louisiana, and especially NO is legendary.  It's a national embarassment and now it's becoming a national money pit.  If NOLA can peacefully slide into the gulf, and take some of its less productive citizens with it, that'd be fine by me.

Quoted: I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items. How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters. That whole deal is beyond bizarre.

And if you were there with orders and permission to gather supplies, why would you not say a word about that when challenged as to what you are doing?

It's bullshit.  Pure and simple.  Makes NOPD look like exactly what I though they were.

I would consider looting taking electronics, jewelery, Heinekien, etc etc.

Clothing for folks who were flooded is not looting in my book.

I agree with BAMA. What could 4 women do to stop everything going on in that store?

Quoted: I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items. How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters.

This is why looters are supposed to be shot on sight.

When they abandoned that practice, they turn the entire city over to the mobs.

Quoted: And if you were there with orders and permission to gather supplies, why would you not say a word about that when challenged as to what you are doing?

Oh - they didn't just ignore the question - they flat out LIED in responding "No" when asked by the reporter if taking shoes was part of doing their job.

Quoted: Quoted: Yes the whole place is a toilet.  Needs a good flush. Why someone would choose to live there is beyond me. And again, I was heavily flamed on this board the night Katrina hit for saying that if any city in the country was in need of a Hurricane-sized enema it was New Orleans. Right now - they could still use another. What a fucking cesspool of lowlifes, thugs, crooks and ignoramuses.

word of the day?

 The GOOD news is: We get to pay for the rebuilding of the shithole back to it's normal state. (A below sea level shithole)  The BETTER news is: It will happen many more times because stupidity is the new "norm".

Quoted: I can't believe some of you.  Lets just nuke the entire USA if Hillary Clinton is elected president.  And for eveyone who wants another hurricane to finish us off, I hope your house gets struck by lighting and everyone is bunred alive.

Did the Gobbermant buy your computer, and are they paying for you Internet service?

Well these are the same cops who thought it was perfectly fine to confiscate legally-owned weapons on the orders of their shitbag police chief and CryBABY Nagin.

Why would they questions being given official permission to LOOT?

And did anyone else notice that not only is Nagin still making a mockery out of the very title Mayor, but that jackass Compass (po-po superintendant who ordered the gun seizures) was allowed to simply resign when he should be doing hard time?

Quoted: I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items. How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters. That whole deal is beyond bizarre.

link to the video
Bama, I understand what you are saying, so I went to find the video.
The items they are taking, as well as their behavior...
Especially their behavior indicates "oh shit, play it cool"
What do you think?

Quoted: Quoted: I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items. How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters. This is why looters are supposed to be shot on sight. When they abandoned that practice, they turn the entire city over to the mobs.

What happens when you shoot a looter who happens to be a cop?

Quoted: Quoted: A permission slip to loot? hmmmm.Where do I get one of those? Here's one. www.nopdonline.com/goldbadge.gif

Thanks doc.I'll print a copy and smack it on my chest.

Quoted: Quoted: I can't believe some of you.  Lets just nuke the entire USA if Hillary Clinton is elected president.  And for eveyone who wants another hurricane to finish us off, I hope your house gets struck by lighting and everyone is bunred alive. Did the Gobbermant buy your computer, and are they paying for you Internet service?

 Were on earth did you get that idea?  But since you asked, have you ever received more back on your income tax than you paid?  Ever receive medicaid?  Medicare? Foodstamps?  My home never flooded and I live in new Orleans (why is that).  Matter of fact, damage was so little the hurrican did little to change my life.  No fema application filed. No trailer in the yard.  You question only shows your ignorance.  I pitty you because your  so conditioned to believe everything on the news and everything you read here as gospel.

Quoted: Quoted: I'll play devils advocate for a minute. Let's say they did send the two fat chicks for some items. How in the hell did they expect the two of them to stop the hundereds for looters in that store? I don't see how two officers could possibly stop that many looters. That whole deal is beyond bizarre. link to the video Bama, I understand what you are saying, so I went to find the video. The items they are taking, as well as their behavior... Especially their behavior indicates "oh shit, play it cool" What do you think?

I have no doubt they were actively engaged in looting. But what I find humouris is they were suspended for failing to stop the other looters. Because on my practical side I do not see where a couple of fat chicks are going to stop hunderds of looters is my point.

I thinkt he whole thing is stupid.

Quoted: Well these are the same cops who thought it was perfectly fine to confiscate legally-owned weapons on the orders of their shitbag police chief and CryBABY Nagin. Why would they questions being given official permission to LOOT? And did anyone else notice that not only is Nagin still making a mockery out of the very title Mayor, but that jackass Compass (po-po superintendant who ordered the gun seizures) was allowed to simply resign when he should be doing hard time?

Nagin pushed Compass out and it had nothing to do with the gun grabbing.