New Orleans police fire 51 for desertion
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-29 10:23

Lt. David Benelli, president of the New Orleans police union, said he had no sympathy for those who abandoned their post.

"The worst thing you can call a police officer is a deserter," Benelli said.

None of the officers had contacted the union about fighting the dismissals, he said.

Two former New Orleans police officers and a New Orleans firefighter were rejected for jobs in the Dallas Police Department because of allegations they deserted their jobs during Hurricane Katrina.

"When you are ready and take an oath of office and you do not fulfill that office, that's an issue for us and it should be an issue for law enforcement in general," Dallas Deputy Chief Floyd Simpson said Thursday.

Hearings for the New Orleans officers that remain under investigation for abandonment will begin Nov. 8 and last four to six months, Riley said.

The department is also investigating the beating of a man during his arrest and the assault on an Associated Press television producer.

"It's still ongoing, but we hope to have a conclusion within a few weeks," Riley said.