I took the force of your article to mean that there was some sort of double standard in how the NOPD handles Radtke and how it handled the situation where the gentleman who was shot the other night. I thought you were saying that the Radtke situation is one where the NOPD does less than they should and what happened by Mt Carmel the other night was an example of NOPD doing “more” than they should.

If you are willing to take my word for it that the NOPD behaved properly the other night then we have no disagreement.

FYI: the man from the other night was mentally ill and a tactical unit + forensic psychiatrists were on site because the man was in his front yard with a pistol to his head. It ended unfortunately, of course, but it seemed the man had decided that afternoon that he didn’t want to live another day.

Allow me to point out that I am in no way disparaging the job of being a New Olreans Police Officer, or any police officer, for that matter. It’s a difficult, dangerous, underpaid and often thankless job. I have the utmost respect for anyone who tackles it honestly.

I do have a problem with anyone in public service using their station to further their own agenda, show favoritism to their friends, or actively behave in a manner that flaunts their position of power, as though they were better than the people they were hired to serve, protect, or both.

A bully mentality, or a permissive stance towards friends and associates, has no place on any public forum, especially the police force, and especially the police force in the City of New Orleans.

The greater part of the NOPD work very hard against uncertain times and difficult odds. For a few of them to disrespect all the rest by behaving in an inappropriate manner, is just plain wrong. For any of them to publicly support crimminal activity such as Fred Radtke’s is undermining to the entire city. There-in lies my gripe.

I would certainly think that the NOPD do NOT like people who fire on them, and they certainly would feel threatened by such behavior. I stand by my remarks there.

It does seem to me to be strange that another man, Fred Radtke, can ride around New Orleans with a gun, threatening people who are NOT the police, defacing public & private property, and the same NOPD refuse to arrest him, even at the request of the City Council. In fact, they publicly refuse to do so, calling him a ‘friend’.

I am inside THAT perimeter, and will ask you sir, do you have some kind of insider information I do not? Is there a reason Radtke can yell obscenities at a hapless shop girl, while tresspassing and defacing private property unscathed?

My point was simple: Hard Justice gets metered out in this city. Selectively. Are you saying that because one man fired on the police, another can run amuck in the streets?

Is this also why the cops can go blasting up one way streets while off duty, in their personal vehicles? I see this level of ‘entitlement’ on a daily basis.

When the off duty cops are blasting car stereos in the district station parking lot, loud enough to rattle nieghborhood windows, late at night, who should we call?

When pedestrians are arrested on Decatur street for ‘not moving fast enough’ and a street cop tells a business to shut down for having too many customers (an art gallery, for pete’s sake) maybe someone could take the time to show up for 911 calls. I waited in the streets for two hours after being run in to by a drunk driver. The cop wouldn’t get out of his car.

When you’re done sighing and quoting me out of context, perhaps you can provide some insight in to these matters, for all of us. Just because they’re wearing a badge and gun doesn’t make them immune to heavy handedness or selective arrest measures.

Last time I checked, it was the DA’s job to prosecute crime, and the police’s job to enforce the law. When the cops refuse to arrest crimminals because of their association or private frinedship, we have a very serious problem on all of our hands.

That’s a perimeter we all live inside of.

“I’m guessing the police didn’t like him as much, since they shot him dead.”

“Now certainly, the police felt threatened by the Dead Guy, hence his deadness.”

Sigh.