Report Indicates Possible New Orleans PD Payroll Fraud

NEW ORLEANS --

A report obtained by the WDSU I-Team calls for multiple investigations into the New Orleans Police Department, some high-ranking officers and one of the city's most active NOPD districts.

What the report targets is allegations of payroll fraud, as well as possibly downgrading violent crimes to improve crime stats.

Last week, the WDSU I-Team reported on how some NOPD officers were cashing in on the city's automated traffic camera system. That investigation led to swift, sweeping changes inside the police department. But now, the I-Team has new information about possible police misconduct.

The report centers on the police department's Eighth District, anchored in the historic French Quarter. Just over a month ago, high-ranking NOPD officers completed an internal review of that district, and what they uncovered is now the center of a more detailed police probe.

Documents obtained by the I-Team are part of the official inspection that started last November and wrapped up in late March. The review calls into question the use of private police details and raises concerns that those on-the-side assignments are being conducted in violation of department policy.

Police details are big business in a town that parties hard, with businesses and private events often hiring police officers to help with security.

The inspector notes in the report that two officers, Eighth District Commander Ed Hosli and Officer David Patrolia, "split their hours on a consistent basis throughout the 2009 and 2010 year to work the paid detail at 1903 Jefferson Avenue for a period of only 15 to 20 minutes, possibly not allowing any travel time and possibly overlapping the worked paid detail while regularly working on city time."

The inspection report identifies the detail Hosli and Patrolia worked as a traffic control job at Newman School. Splitting hours is against department policy, as is working a paid detail while on regular duty.

The report shows "the detail hours were from 7:45 a.m. to 8 a.m., which leads this inspector to infer that the officers who worked the detail may have been either working the paid detail while still on regular working hours and/or were traveling to and from the paid detail while still regularly working for the city."

Along with the NOPD Public Integrity Bureau, the city's independent police monitor is aware of the report and is investigating.

"It could be anything from a policy violation to a fraud," said police monitor Susan Hutson. "If they were filing fraudulent records, then (it's) payroll fraud, so it could be very serious, and we're going to have to look at that very closely."

Inspectors could not verify some information, and in the report, they said some items "may have to be subpoenaed in order to be obtained."

Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas confirmed to the I-Team that he has referred this matter to the Public Integrity Bureau, and in a written statement, said, "Since its findings are pending, we won't be able to comment on them until the review is complete."

Hosli was promoted to Eighth District commander this spring. He is also an executive with Anytime Solutions, a company created last year and given responsibility for managing police details that paid out tens of thousands of dollars to officers who review those automated traffic camera citations.

Following WDSU's reports last month, Serpas ended that arrangement and moved the traffic camera responsibilities to on-the-clock officers in the department's motorcycle unit.

Investigators have also found indications that some violent crimes in the Eighth District are being downgraded in officials' reports. WDSU will examine which offenses are getting a closer look Tuesday at 10 p.m.