Nopd Theft: Fill & Download for Free

Like tyrannical psychopaths, if post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans is any indication. As happens so often in America, no one gave a fuck about the poor. The police were there to protect the wealthy.So, what happened in New Orleans after Katrina? Police became thugs and, criminals.How and why did this happen? Hysteria. From where did this hysteria arise? Where it ALWAYS does in America: the media. News reports of the ensuing criminal lawlessness in New Orleans were grossly overexaggerated. The reports of widespread raping were fabricated. The reports of widespread killings among the local populace were false. However, there were no reports about the widespread killings by police of citizens.See, for all the supposed “danger” police faced after Katrina, only ONE officer died as a result of Katrina, and it was only because he contracted an illness during rescue operations. He died 3 months after Katrina, too. So, where was this supposed bedlam that was plaguing officers? Nowhere. Still, public officials relied on skewed media accounts that played on the public officials’ fears. The storm hit August 29th. Two days later, the Mayor of New Orleans ordered police to halt rescue operations, and begin to address the problem of looting.I want you to pause and think about that for a second. Who needs to be rescued? EXCLUSIVELY poor people. Wealthy people were able to leave the city for the hurricane. Only the poor needed rescuing. And, who does halting the looting benefit? Corporations. Think about it: Major stores, Walmart, Target, and Winn Dixie, simply boarded up shop and left. That is a LOT of food that will spoil, since electricity will be out for weeks. Just left there. It’s worth mentioning here that stores are allowed to write off thefts on their taxes, so it’s not a total loss for businesses. MOST importantly, most business insurance covers the store and its contents in the event of rioting or looting. So, again, really, who was being protected here?Then, you have all these New Orleanians who can’t even purchase the food if they had the money because no one is there to sell to them. They are faced with a choice, they can starve or die of dehydration, or steal some supplies from a business that will be reimbursed for their losses from their insurance. Think of this scenario: you are stranded in the desert, and you notice an oasis on the horizon. You walk hours to finally get there and, when you do, you notice the oasis is surrounded with a simple chain-link fence with barbed wire on top, and there just happens to be some wire cutters nearby. Pretend the fence is plastered with “Posted: No Trespassing” signs, and declarations that the pond within belongs to the King of Whogivesashit. Be honest, here, you would cut that fence down, drink all the water, and leave only a puddle of urine in its stead. And, we demonize these people for simply surviving, apparently valuing the profits of stores over the lives of these individuals.So, 2 days later, the mayor decides it is more important to protect the profits of these stores, than to save the lives of the New Orleanians, and he declares “martial law.” Of course, he’s only a fucking mayor so he can’t declare martial law. Not even the governor of Louisiana can declare martial law, as the Louisiana Constitution has no part authorizing the governor to do so. Now, the mayor does have some emergency powers he invokes. He told officers to do “whatever it takes” to restore order.This is a BIG RED FLAG. Even in Afghanistan we can’t do “whatever it takes” to complete the mission. For example, we were not allowed to shoot into crowds of innocents when enemy combatants attack us from those groups, even though this would be entirely within the laws of war to do so. Considering you are talking to a large group of armed men in a crisis situation, you may want to provide more clarity on those orders.But the mayor is just the beginning. Listen to what the governor of Louisiana said in reference to the 300 Arkansas National Guard troops that she deployed to help restore order:"These troops are fresh back from Iraq, well trained, experienced, battle-tested and under my orders to restore order in the streets."They have M-16s and they are locked and loaded."These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will."I mean read that over a couple more times. She is talking about unleashing the U.S. Army’s infantry on AMERICANS. This really disturbs me as an American, but as a Soldier, this enrages me. I would have outright refused to fire on another American. I trained to kill the type of person who wishes death on me and all of my countryfolk, not my fellow citizens simply trying to survive. And, it’s that absolute thoughtlessness the governor displays that pisses me off most. Did she for even ONE SECOND consider what she was telling her National Guardsmen to do, how they would have to live with that for the rest of their lives?Now, you may say, “No, she never said shoot looters,” but if not the looters, then whom? There were no marauding rape gangs. There was a SINGLE incident of officers allegedly taking fire while awaiting rescue on top of a building. And they are talking about restoring order. Where is the disorder? Only in the “looting.” So, I think she knew damn well she was implying to shoot looters. But, the government officials would be okay if it all ended here. It did not.Captain James Scott told more than a dozen officers, "We have authority by martial law to shoot looters.". And, you would think this is where it ends, but no, it only gets worse from here. The New Orleans Police Department Chief of Police himself said, “"if you can sleep with it, do it.” Again, let’s take a pause to really absorb what is being said here. The Captain was wrong because, no law in Louisiana allows the suspension of civil of rights. He is basically saying that you can be the judge, jury, and executioner all for the crime of theft, usually petty theft. And, I again would argue this is not theft, it is survival.Then, look at what the chief is saying. What an utter piece of scum. First, you NEVER know if you can live with it until after the fact. While I was in the Army, my friends and I all thought that we could never get PTSD, we’re too tough. It wasn’t until a couple years after all of the civilians died due to an error I made, when that mental callus fell off, that I started to have issues with what happened. Every normal officer who kills someone for theft will have trouble with that for the rest of their life. Which brings me to my next point, the effect all of these advisements had on the actual officers. Oh, yes, many people were shot.1) Let me start with the most egregious case: The Danziger Bridge Shootings. This incident is one of the more disturbing incidents I have come across (and I have looked at hundreds). In this incident, NOPD received a call (supposedly) of an officer receiving fire in a certain area, and when they arrived, they saw a family walking across Danziger Bridge. It’s worth noting here that the police were driving a “commandeered” U-Haul truck (meaning it had no police markings), and were ALL in plainclothes.Several police officers, armed with a couple M-4-style assault rifles, a couple AK-47-style assault rifles, a shotgun, and a couple of pistols immediately dismounted, and without warning, started firing on the family. They killed one, 17-year-old James Brissette, and wounded a handful, eventually leading one woman to having her arm amputated. Then, they chased down two others on the bridge, shooting them both with shotguns, killing the disabled man of the pair, Ronald Madison.Why did they shoot? They CLAIM they received fire from the groups first. The only thing I can think of is that these people had bags and stuff in their hands, and police thought they were looters so they shot them. And, I did tell you this was one of the more disturbing incidents I have heard of, so it doesn’t stop there. More than a dozen officers got involved in the coverup in one way or another. Two men, one from each group were arrested, and charged with the attempted murder of the 7 officers for shooting at them first. This was utter nonsense, and no gun had been found… initially.One of the officers kept a burner. If you don’t know what this is, pat yourself on the back for not slipping THAT far into the criminal underworld. A burner is a gun that is not traceable to you in any way. These can either be illegally purchased through a black market dealer or legally purchased through certain gun fair loopholes…That probably needs some explanation, A LOT of explanation if you’re not American. See, a gun fair is exactly what it sounds like, it is a fair centered on guns. Sadly, there are no cool rides, but there is often very good food. There are also all kinds of booths on various things, from weird conspiracy theory booths on the government, aliens, and all the really fun stuff to psychic booths, to Christian antiabortion booths, and then there are guns.Most of the guns are for sale, though it is quite common to simply bring a beautiful gun you’re proud of and exhibit it to others. Really cool guns, like old WW1 and WW2 machineguns are often on display too. Most vendors will make deals if you have a certain gun you want to trade. All types of guns can purchased (except fully automatic weapons, though I imagine this does happen if the person has the special Class III license needed), including pistols, revolvers, assault rifles, “submachineguns” (I use quotes here, because they are actually semi-automatic, so I don’t think they count as an SMG), sniper rifles, 20mm rifles, etc.Now, if you are not American, you’re probably thinking WTF? Guns? Booths to peddle conspiracy theories? Antiabortion booths? And, just know that I also know there a lot of jokes to be had here, but because I want to leave politics out of it, I am just going to move on. Just know, we’re probably thinking the same thing right now…Anyways, so the cop takes the untraceable firearm, and plants it at the scene, “finding” it several weeks after the shooting. They then attempt to prosecute these guys, and lies are spun. Luckily, the media got a hold of the story and, charges were pressed. 5 men were convicted and initially sentenced to 65,40,40, and 38 years (another guy got 5 for the coverup). Imagine that, they just killed 2 people, and attempted to kill at least 5 people. The guy who got 65 was the guy who shot at James Brissette, possibly killing him, and he’s the one who chased down, and murdered Ronald Madison. But, you thought the bullshit stopped there?The prosecutors in the case were posting comments online to a local newspaper, discussing the case. They were bad mouthing the defense, and basically litigating the case online in a public forum. Now, mind you, no juror ever read these articles or the comments contained therein, still the judge vacated the convictions, ordered a mistrial, and set the case for another jury trial.This time, the defendants pled guilty and received the much lighter 12, 10, 10, and 7-year sentences they received. Think about that, kill two, injure half a dozen, plant evidence, lie under oath, and on official documents, maliciously prosecute two men for serious crimes that could end up with life sentences to the the two, knowing they’re innocent, and all you get is 12 years… Only in America, and only if you’re a cop.2) Then there is the case of Henry Glover. He went to a nearby strip mall to scavenge supplies so that he could survive. When he arrived, the officer on the second floor shot and killed him. The officer later claimed he feared for his life… from the second floor. Apparently, he thought Glover was a Mortal Kombat character, and could reach him on the second floor.This alone would be bad, but it gets worse.Two men attempted to help Glover. They put him in their car and brought Glover to the nearest police checkpoint that had been set up since the Hurricane hit. When they got there, they were assaulted by officers, and arrested, while glover was left to die in the car. And, it gets better: a high-ranking officer ordered the car be moved elsewhere, and burned. How high-ranking the officer depends, as the higher ranking officer of the two denies knowing. I think that’s bullshit. The weird thing is, someone took his fucking head after they burned the body. No officer will cop to it (I had to).3) Then there is the case of Matthew McDonald. He was found by police to be walking with a bag police claimed to believe to be holding a gun. How they could tell from the bag a gun was inside is never clarified. They ordered McDonald to halt, and instead, allegedly, he reached into the bag, so they gunned him down. Of course, there was no gun in the bag. But, if this was an honest mistake, their decision to coverup what happened is certainly suspicious. NOPD told the family McDonald was killed in a shooting and that the storm had washed away all of the evidence. They were told by reporters what really happened.4) Next is Danny Brumfield. Brumfield was trying to flag down police for help. One squad car had already passed him up before, so when the second one came around, he jumped on the hood. A police officer inside shot him and killed him.5) Keenon McCann was shot for trying to get water out of a water truck. Cops claimed he had a gun, but of course none was ever found. Think about that… the man was trying to get WATER. How is that not a basic human right in America? The right to have water… Thank god we can all be armed to the teeth, though.Which brings me to my last point. NOPD confiscated legally owned firearms. They would see people protecting their property, with legally owned firearms, and they would force the people to hand them over at the barrel of a gun. Of course, as usual, this largely happened in the black neighborhoods. White neighborhoods were allowed to have their firearms. The NRA had to sue the NOPD to make them stop confiscating weapons and return the ones they already had.The racism in New Orleans is still strong. That is something we learned from Katrina and New Orleans more than 15 years ago, now. Apparently, in natural disasters, black people “loot” while white people “survive”.So how would police behave in a catastrophic natural disaster? Horrendously.

Being a cop, and a writer of cop stories, I’m going to stick to police procedurals.Texas:Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke (Edgar-winner about a black TX Ranger investigating the murder of a black Chicago lawyer, one who reminds the Ranger of a road not taken).Target Blue by Terry Marlow (head of Dallas PD’s auto theft unit investigates a chop shop and he and his squad are swept into a gang war; “Terry Marlow” is a joint pseudonym for a pair of Dallas cops who collaborated on this book).The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale (another Edgar-winner, set in the Depression, about a barber who’s been elected district constable in a rural community in East Texas, suddenly finding himself the only law officer willing to investigate a serial murder case; narrated by one of his two kids; To Kill a Mockingbird reimagined as a cop novel.)The Territory by Tricia Fields (female chief of small-town police force on the Mexican border tries to keep a gang war raging south of the Rio Grande from spreading north to her town; when she kills a member of each faction in a couple of shootouts, she becomes a target for both sides; winner of a Hillerman award for Best First Novel set in the Southwest).Honor at Daybreak by Elmer Kelton (sheriff of rural county where oil has been discovered is virtually all by himself as he tries to combat gangster elements coming into the boomtown of Daybreak to profit from vice rackets during the Depression; Kelton won more WWA Spur Awards than any other novelist and was twice voted “Best Western Novelist Ever,” by his brother and sister western writers).Hawke’s Prey by Reavis Z. Worthington (titular Texas Ranger hero finds himself in a down-home Die Hard situation when terrorists take over a small-town courthouse, killing several innocent bystanders just to show they mean business, and taking dozens of hostages, including Sonny Hawke’s wife and kids).Mercy by David Lindsay (female Houston Homicide detective and FBI profiler partner up to track down a serial killer targeting women with a secret).Too Late to Die by Bill Crider (rural Sheriff Dan Rhodes is fighting for re-election at the same time he’s trying to track down a murderer; first in a popular, award-winning series).No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (a man who finds a load of cash among a group of dead men decides to keep it for himself and is pursued by a hitman of almost supernatural ruthlessness; both are chased by a veteran cop, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, from the county where the initial deaths occurred; winner of Japan’s Maltese Falcon Award, it was adapted into an Oscar-winning movie).Louisiana:The Big Kiss by O’Neil DeNoux (New Orleans Homicide Detective Dino LaStanza catches two cases, the murder of the son-in-law of a local Mob boss, and the murder of a street hooker; ballistics prove that the two cases are connected, and the Sicilian LaStanza finds himself pitted against the Mafia; author is a retired homicide detective with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office who, like his character, had a 100% solved rate, and is the winner of the Police Book Award; all the books in this series are good, but this is my personal favorite).The Axeman’s Jazz by Julie Smith (NOPD Homicide Detective Skip Langdon is trying to catch a serial killer who’s picking his victims from various 12-step programs around the Crescent City; first book in this series, New Orleans Mourning, won an Edgar; this is even better).Mortal Sins by Penn Williamson (set in the 1920’s; NOPD Homicide Lieutenant Damon Roarke investigates a high society murder; the victim’s widow is an old flame . . . and a suspect; finalist for the CWA Ellis Peters Memorial Historical Dagger).A Project Named Desire by John William Corrington and Joyce H. Corrington (Captain Ralph “Rat” Trapp, commander of NOPD Homicide, looks into the mysterious death of a rock star who might have overdosed, or might have been poisoned; the star’s mother is an old flame).The Neon Rain by James Lee Burke (Recently divorced NOPD Detective Dave Robicheaux finds the body of a prostitute on is day off, catches the case, and becomes a mob target as a consequence; first in the series; in later books Dave leaves NOPD and takes a job as a rural sheriff’s deputy).The Accidental Vigilante by Robert Sterling Hecker (Not altogether successful rookie NOPD cop Jeremy Porter is unexpectedly promoted to detective in the sex crime unit, and is just as quickly bounced back into uniform after a screw-up; but determined to make good, he starts investigating what turns out to be an organized syndicate obtaining “product” for wealthy pedophiles; author is the New Orleans Harbor Police Chief).Absent the Soul by B.J. Bourg (collection of cop stories set in rural Louisiana by long-time cop who’s worked those beats).Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You by Laurie Lynn Drummond (short story collection, each featuring a different Baton Rouge policewoman, by a veteran of the BRPD; includes the Edgar-winning short story “Something About a Scar”).

It probably depends on what part of the country you are in. I recall watching the news during hurricane Katrina and a news crew was filming looters that had broken into a store. Two New Orleans PD officers were ignoring the thefts going on around them. Instead they were casually pushing a shopping cart along and filling it with whatever caught their eyes. When confronted by the news crew one of the officers told her to mind her own business, then she went back to stealing. It was unbelievable. I always wondered what happened to those two. And then there’s this one NOPD officer accused of shoplifting Apple AirPods while in uniformOn my department, they would prosecute those officers (even way back when Katrina happened) and they would be fired. It wouldn’t matter if they were found guilty, or innocent, they would fire them, because they have the proof on film. The second incident occurred in 2018. That person quit, probably in lieu of being fired. I don’t know if they had film of her, but they did track her down with her phone account. I don’t know what happened with the court case.