[LA] When Officer Shorty stole a citizen's $3,500 watch he was ALREADY in a dv batterer program AND in NOPD's VERY own program FOR bad cops!

...[Police spokesman Bob] Young said Shorty was issued a letter of reprimand in the public intoxication, intimidation and resisting arrest incident... As for the domestic battery case, Young said he considered the case open because Shorty is attending a domestic violence intervention program. Young was unable to immediately produce records on the officer's complaint history...

FIRED COP HAD PRIOR ISSUES
Battery, intoxication among past citations
nola.com
By Brendan McCarthy
Friday, September 11, 2009

The rookie New Orleans police officer who was arrested last week after allegations he stole an expensive watch from a citizen while on a service call has been cited for crimes two other times during his more than two years on the police force.

Desmond Shorty, 24, who resigned after his arrest last week, was issued a municipal summons for domestic battery last September, and for public intoxication, public intimidation and resisting an officer last March, according to court records.

Despite the criminal charges, Shorty was allowed to stay on as a police recruit and was slated to be promoted to the rank of officer. The case raises questions about the NOPD's hiring practices and an internal monitoring system that is supposed to flag potential problem officers.

Police spokesman Bob Young confirmed Thursday night that Shorty had been in the NOPD's recently reformed Professional Performance Enhancement Program (PPEP), designed to closely monitor officers with a high number of complaints or history of discipline issues.

Officers in the six-month program are supposed to be accompanied by a supervisor on all service calls and attend additional training classes.

Young said he couldn't comment on why Shorty was kept on the force, in a probationary capacity, for 2 1/2 years and why Shorty was able to weather such alleged offenses without being terminated.

Letter of reprimand

Young said Shorty was issued a letter of reprimand in the public intoxication, intimidation and resisting arrest incident, and pointed out that prosecutors dropped the case. As for the domestic battery case, Young said he considered the case open because Shorty is attending a domestic violence intervention program.

Young was unable to immediately produce records on the officer's complaint history, but said such documents, if found, would be released today.

Shorty, assigned to the 7th District, allegedly lifted a $3,500 watch from a woman's purse late last month while investigating a disturbance in eastern New Orleans. He was in the apartment without a search warrant, according to a police report. [LINK]

NEW ORLEANS POLICE MUST REVIEW ITS RECRUITING AND TRAINING PROCEDURES
The Times-Picayune
Editorial Page Staff
September 10, 2009 12:33AM
[Excerpts] Mr. Shorty initially told investigators that he found the watch in his police cruiser and "made a dumb decision" by keeping it. He violated the public's trust, and prosecutors should aggressively pursue his case. Police Superintendent Warren Riley has repeatedly asked New Orleanians not to judge his entire department based on the actions of "a few bad apples." There are certainly many brave and honest men and women in the Police Department. But evidently there are more than just a handful of bad officers. That should prompt police brass to review their recruitment and training process. In just the past 14 months, the department's "bad apples" have included... [Full article here]
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