In one instance captured on a grainy videotape shot by a member of the force, a police captain relayed the instructions at morning roll call to cops preparing for the day's patrols.
"We have authority by martial law to shoot looters," Captain James Scott told a few dozen officers in a portion of the tape viewed by reporters. Scott, then the commander of the 1st district, is now captain of the special operations division.
Scott's address came at a moment of widespread confusion over whether authorities had imposed martial law, a phrase used by then-Mayor Ray Nagin on the radio. In fact, martial law does not exist under Louisiana's constitution. But experts in police training said the use of those words by politicians and in news reports may have fueled perceptions that the rules had changed.
It's near the end of the day and certainly everyone in New Orleans has seen this story by now. But I thought it might be worth looking into the question of whether or not the "grainy videotape" actually captured Scott claiming that "Martian Law" had been declared which is, of course, something we all know does exist in Louisiana.
Update: Attorneys to use 'shoot the looters' defense in Danziger case Oh well. Guess now they have to indict Scott. Or Riley.
No comments:
Post a Comment