By Jillian Kramer
The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate
NEW ORLEANS — Following a months-long pause in promotions, New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick announced Monday that the agency was “back on track” to advance its ranks.
Kirkpatrick’s announcement came days after a federal judge cleared the way for the department to press forward with promotions based on a ranking system that had come under fire amid allegations of bias and cheating from Mayor LaToya Cantrell as well as an anonymous complaint.
That system, which emerged from the federal consent decree that governs the police department, requires candidates to be scored internally by deputy chiefs and externally by a contractor administering a New Orleans Civil Service examination, culminating in a ranking of eligible officers.
In October, Kirkpatrick shocked the department when she announced she would press pause on promotions based on that list, following concerns raised by Cantrell about bias in the process.
Separately, an anonymous complaint was filed with the department’s public integrity bureau, alleging candidates had “cheated” on the Civil Service exam, Kirkpatrick said.
A review by outside assessors, federal monitors and the New Orleans Office of Inspector General found no proof of bias in the rankings, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan said on Friday, when she ordered the internal list to be upheld and the promotions unfrozen.
The reviews uncovered one mistake in the department’s internal assessment, which failed to account for an incident in a candidate’s disciplinary record. But that isn’t enough to ditch the list, Morgan said.
On Monday, Kirkpatrick called the reviews a “deep dive” into the various allegations, which determined the allegations “unfounded.”
“We took the investigations seriously, even though I did not necessarily think, personally, that there was bias or cheating,” said Kirkpatrick.
At least two people will be promoted to captain, she said, and two more promoted to major in the coming weeks. “It will trickle down from there,” Kirkpatrick said, indicating more promotions will follow.
The captain and major promotions are expected to take effect after Mardi Gras , Kirkpatrick said.
“Those men and women are deserving now,” she said. They can be promoted knowing that they earned it and it was based on their merit — it was based on their performance on those tests.”
Eric Hessler , an attorney for the Police Association of New Orleans (PANO), said the promotions will not only boost officers’ incomes, but affect morale. “It’s the human spirit, especially in a profession such as law enforcement, to advance yourself and do so through merit. ... It also shows younger officers that there is a career path for them.”
Cantrell’s involvement in stalling the promotions drew outcry from watchdogs, who noted that two top contenders for promotions had participated in an investigation into Cantrell’s former bodyguard and alleged romantic partner, Jeffrey Vappie. Vappie currently faces federal charges.
PANO and the Black Organization of Police filed a complaint with the Civil Service Commission . A hearing is slated for Friday, Civil Service Director Amy Trepagnier said.
“Why would she (the mayor) want to stop promotions of this type?” Hessler asked on Monday. “We’re glad this impediment has been removed, but we’re not going to dismiss those proceedings.”
Asked Monday what specific allegations of bias had been made, Kirkpatrick said, “I’ve been in nine police departments, and this is normal in every police department. The bias was: ‘Someone scored me lower because I worked for them and and they reprimanded me.’ That’s ... the type of bias we were talking about.”
Kirkpatrick said she had informed Cantrell of her decision to move forward with promotions based on the list. “She’s appreciative, because all she wanted was to make sure that there was no bias,” Kirkpatrick said.
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