NYT/AP: Inquiry Opens on Whether New Orleans Police Looted

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Inquiry Opens on Whether New Orleans Police Looted
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 29, 2005


NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The police department said Thursday it is investigating about a dozen officers suspected of looting during the lawlessness that engulfed the city after Hurricane Katrina.

News reports in the aftermath of the storm put officers at the scene of some of the heaviest looting, at the Wal-Mart in the Lower Garden District. Some witnesses, including a Times-Picayune reporter, said police were taking items from shelves.

''Out of 1,750 officers, we're looking into the possibility that maybe 12 officers were involved in misconduct,'' police spokesman Marlon Defillo said.

He rejected the use of the term ''looting,'' and said authorities were investigating ''the possibility of appropriation of nonessential items during the height of Katrina, from businesses.''

Earlier this week, the city's police superintendent, Eddie Compass, resigned after weeks of criticism about the department's conduct during Katrina and its aftermath. On the same day, the department said about 250 police officers could face discipline for leaving their posts without permission during the crisis....


http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-New-Orleans.html?hp&ex=1128052800&en=e57f710e8b24e9e0&ei=5094&partner=homepage