Despite all the claims of a nationwide search for the best cop to improve the dismal state of affairs in the New Orleans Police Department, and despite enlisting the International Association of Police Chiefs to recruit from around the country, newly-elected Mayor Mitch Landrieu has chosen Nashville’s current police chief Ronal Serpas to lead the force. But don’t let his current location fool you. Mr. Serpas served in the New Orleans Police Department for 21 years, and eventually held the number two position. He left the force in 2001. Both his father and his grandfather were officers in the department.
Is he the best choice for police superintendent, or was the entire national search merely a show? Was a department insider really the best option out of all the candidates from around the country? Opinions seem to be strongly polarized. Many see Landrieu’s selection of his sister-in-law as his adviser on economic development as more evidence of political cronyism, and today’s announce of Mr. Serpas will certainly lend support to that sentiment. Regardless of the banter or his motives, it is results that will matter, even when the rhetoric has at least nominally been betrayed.
While the finger-pointing, race-baiting, and ballyhooing has already begun, I know I am excited to see how it will all play out, and whether or not this administration marks a new, brighter chapter in New Orleans politics.
(From the Times-Picayune)
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