In times of natural disasters, how do you help the helpers? Blog Post 7

This video depicts officers of the New Orleans police department looting a Wal Mart days after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina. Looting can happen anywhere during a natural disaster and it is the job of all law enforcement officers to restore order to society but how can order be restored to society when the officer’s well being and that of his love one’s are on the line.
Although, media can be very liberal at painting officers in a bad light, one would have to agree with the reporters in this video. Law enforcement officers stand for law and order and if they are looting two days after the hurricane hit the south east coast, than what would law and order be like in a week, month, or year? These officers should be forced to resign, or be brought up on criminal charges, as this video shames the department and the officers that work for it.
Some may say that survival may behind the fact that police officers are looting because in desperate times, desperate measures must be taken in order to survive. However, law enforcement officers, whether they be local, state, or federal are mainly tasked with upholding the law at all cost. Instead of walking around inside the Wal Mart like they cannot catch a looter, they should be outside the front doors of the Wal Mart providing security. It is up to the drop of disaster relief organizations such as the Red Cross to provide support when people need it the most.
Currently, in the news, it is said that Hurricane Ida is about to follow in the steps of Hurricane Katrina and hit the south east coast line. In this time before the storm, police departments should beef up patrols in high risk neighborhoods. As well, they should make sure that they families and most prized positions are in a safe place to prevent looters and to ensure their personal safety. The actions of the officers were wrong, however, law enforcement officers should be allowed the supplies they need so survival is not an issue when trying to “protect and serve”. It is from learning from the mistakes made at Katrina that other states like California can better prepare for natural disasters.