iCountry Media

We see it so often that it never occurs to us it’s not true. It’s inscribed on police vehicles in cities across America—to protect and serve. The phrase resonates with the promise of security, an assurance of stability in emergency situations. It embodies the art of relationship building, a public relations strategy that emphasizes the interaction between two parties. In this case, “to protect and serve” is meant to project a culture of interaction between a benevolent police force and the community it “serves.” The phrase is an effective and highly unethical public relations invention, as the residents of New Orleans found out the hard way. It falsely implies that the police have a duty to protect citizens. Nothing could be further from the truth. In 1989, the Supreme Court ruled that the police have no duty to protect citizens who aren’t in State custody.

As the hurricane bore down on New Orleans, evacuation became impossible because of a lack of fuel, lack of transportation, severe congestion, and jumbled communication. Stranded residents swamped the Super Dome expecting safety, barely making it inside before the storm made landfall. Legally registered weapons were confiscated at the door in an effort to stave off the threat of violence. Not only did this policy fail miserably, it led to deplorable conditions and unspeakable violence for the defenseless people who were trapped inside.

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, hardened criminals gained control over parts of New Orleans after Mayor Nagin ordered the police to confiscate the weapons of law-abiding citizens. The ensuing wave of home invasions, murders, and sexual assaults that gripped the city for weeks could have been averted had the Mayor enlisted the help of registered gun owners rather than leaving them alienated and unprotected.

Not only did the expected protection never materialize, a stunned Nation watched as a large number of NOLA police officers abandoned their posts in the face of overwhelming gang violence. Some officers even joined in the pillaging with the full knowledge that no unarmed law-abiding citizen would be able to protect themselves against well-armed thugs. These rogue police officers knew who was unarmed and who wasn’t.

Given the fumbles and stumbles of FEMA in the aftermath of Katrina, it might seem that the actions taken by Mayor Nagin to disarm law-abiding citizens are nothing more than a footnote in a disturbing chapter of history. Yet, Nagin’s actions undermined the efficacy of federal, state, and local agencies. While no one argues that FEMA had been in a state of disarray for months, even years, before the disaster, Mayor Nagin failed to identify an important resource, legally armed citizens, who could have prevented the near collapse of civil order in New Orleans after the storm. While there are no excuses for the abject failures of FEMA, the response was significantly slowed because the horrific violence running rampant in the flooded streets of New Orleans.

Municipalities can ensure stability and security during a disaster by including, not excluding, responsible citizens in the emergency management process. Identifying legal gun owners before a crisis, and training them on how to interact with law enforcement and emergency management officials would not only save money and time, it would save lives. Federal and state laws require guns to be registered, so identifying these individuals would be a simple process.