New Orleans Police Officers Arrested for Beating 64-Year Old Man

The New Orleans Police Department has been plagued for years by allegations of brutality and corruption, and a month ago Police Superintendent Eddie Compass resigned. The city has been the seat of much unrest and hostility since the wrath of Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, so tensions have been high for weeks. Saturday night the tension grew when reports emerged that two New Orleans police officers had been suspended and arrested for repeatedly punching a 64-year old man accused of public intoxication. Another city officer also assaulted an Associated Press Television News producer while a cameraman taped all of the confrontations. Police Captain Marlon Defillo and a group of other high-ranking police department officials watched the APTN footage Sunday and Defillo told reporters, "We have great concern with what we saw this morning. It's a troubling tape, no doubt about it. ... This department will take immediate action."

The APTN tape shows an officer attempting to subdue suspect Robert Davis, 64, as he stood outside a bar near Bourbon Street. The suspect appeared to resist, flailing as he was dragged to the ground by four officers, and one of them hit Davis in the head at least four times. Another of the officers punched him twice and kneed him, leaving the suspect lying face-down on the sidewalk with his blood streaming into the gutter. APTN producer Rich Matthews and a cameraman were watching the entire incident, and when a fifth officer, S. M. Smith, saw them he ordered Matthews to stop recording. Matthews held up his credentials, but the officer grabbed him, jabbed him in the stomach, and cursed at him. "I've been here for six weeks trying to keep…alive. ... Go home!" shouted Smith.

Usually New Orleans police officers don’t arrest people on Bourbon Street unless they are demonstrating very offensive behavior or engaging in criminal activity. But most of the city police officers are under tremendous stress since the hurricane, with many of them sleeping in their cars and working 24-hour shifts. Three-quarters of them lost their homes, and for many officers, their families are scattered across the country. But Defillo acknowledged that stress cannot justify the actions of the officers arrested Sunday. "Our police officers are working under some very trying times," Defillo said. "So it's a difficult time, but it doesn't excuse what our jobs are supposed to be."

Davis, who was treated at a hospital and then released into police custody, was booked on public intoxication, resisting arrest, battery on a police officer, and public intimidation. A jailer provided the media with a mug shot of Davis that shows him with one eye swollen shut, an abrasion on his neck, and a cut on his temple. "The incidents taped by our cameraman are extremely troubling," said Mike Silverman, AP's managing editor. "We are heartened that the police department is taking them seriously and promising a thorough investigation." Although Davis is black and three of the accused officers are white, Defillo said race was not an issue. Three of the five officers are New Orleans officers, and two others appeared to be federal officers sent to New Orleans to help with patrols in the aftermath of the hurricane.

The police department in New Orleans has been the target of intense scrutiny and criticism in the weeks following the hurricane. Many officers deserted their posts in the days after Katrina and some were even accused of joining in the looting that made national headlines. At least two officers committed suicide. On Friday, the media reported that state authorities are investigating allegations of New Orleans police officers breaking into an automobile dealership as the hurricane was bearing down on the city. According to the allegations, the officers stole nearly 200 cars, including 41 new Cadillacs.