N.O. Police Say 249 Officers Left Posts

Contrast this with the performance of NY police and firefighters during and after the 9-11 attacks.

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans police chief says 249 officers — nearly 15 percent of the force — could face a special tribunal because they left their posts without permission during Hurricane Katrina and the storm's chaotic aftermath.

Police Superintendent Eddie Compass plans to assemble a tribunal of four of his assistant chiefs to hear each case and sort the outright deserters from those with a legitimate reason for not showing up for work.

Lt. David Benelli, president of the Police Association of New Orleans, the union for rank-and-file officers, said true deserters should be fired.

"For those who left because of cowardice, they don't need to be here," Benelli told The Times-Picayune in Tuesday's edition. "If you're a deserter and you deserted your post for no other reason than you were scared, then you left the department and I don't see any need for you to come back."

Related: New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass announces his retirement in New Orleans.

NOPD Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned from his position at a 2 p.m. press conference Tuesday.

Associated Press

Police Chief Eddie Compass steps off the podium after resigning his position at a Monday press conference.

No details were given and no questions were answered including who would become the next superintendent.

Compass, in his announcement, said he had always wanted to be police chief and that he had led the city through some of its toughest times, including Hurricane Katrina.

Anyone think the timing of this has anything to do with the increasing scuttlebutt concerning NOLA "phantom cops" that's permeating the blogospere?