Posted by
Zero House on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 8:05:24 PM
The Times-Picayune reported today that New Orleans Police Sergeant, Bobby Guidry was cleaning out his desk during the last 15 minutes of a 35-year career on June 28, when he received a call from a supervisor to advise him he was being suspended pending an investigation for violating the department's uniform code. He was wearing a powder blue shirt, instead of the black colored blouse mandated by department policy. The NOPD wore powder blue until after Katrina, when NOPD Superintendent Warren Riley changed the dress code to black. Many continued to wear blue because they found black to be too stifling in the New Orleans heat. However, Guidry claims this wasn't the reason he bucked policy. He did so, he said because "eighteen people died in the line of duty in that powder-blue shirt while I was with the department." Ironically, the department is scheduled to resume bearing powder blue shirts beginning next year.
Riley described the punishment as "appropriate," adding ""[Guidry] suffered the consequences of his actions." According to the paper, Guidry's pension and benefits are not in jeopardy, but unless this is overturned or dismissed he will have a citation in his file stating that he "retired under investigation." He also will be unable to serve as a reserve officer, something Officer Guidry had apparently planned on doing.
How petty and ridiculous can we get here? Here is an individual who served his city, in a dangerous and grossly underpaid profession, stuck around during Katrina when many colleagues cut and run, only to have a bunch of bureaucratic hacks poor cold water on that career with this lunacy. Hell, if they wanted to reprimand him for wearing the wrong color, they had a few years to do so, as he did wear the same color shirt every day. New Orleans, much like my own beloved St. Louis, is a borderline basket case with serious crime problems; often referred to as the "murder capital of America." Dumping on an apparently dedicated professional, while the city (figuratively speaking) burns, seems appropriate.
One respondent who claimed to know Riley alludes to more sinister motives. A Times-Picayune reader going by the username "NHE" says, "I personally know Sgt. Guidry and can say without a doubt that he is and was a dedicated and honorable police officer. The NOPD has been giving this poor guy a hard time for years, a hard time for standing up for himself and his co-workers. This was one final jab at him before he retired with the respect of his fellow officers."
This may get interesting before it's over. Hopefully for Officer Guidry's sake, the NOPD will step back, take a breath, and let sanity prevail.