NOPD withheld information, blocked watchdog from public records

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A local professor and police watchdog sued the New Orleans Police Department on Tuesday, alleging that the department has stonewalled his requests for public records in retaliation for his work exposing allegations of payroll fraud involving more than 30 officers.

Charles “Skip” Gallagher, a University of New Orleans chemistry instructor, also said he’s been followed by unmarked cars and received several anonymous phone calls, though he didn’t go into detail.

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Gallagher has said he spent around 1,600 hours obtaining and analyzing NOPD timesheets, work that in 2022 sparked a federal investigation of officers who appeared to be paid for private security details at the same time they were supposed to be on shift. He also helped expose NOPD’s backlog of more than 73,000 untested DNA kits.

Since then, NOPD has flouted Louisiana’s public records law by ignoring requests Gallagher sent in May and June for additional information relating to untested DNA kits and an investigation of a former captain’s off-duty detail work, Gallagher alleges.

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Gallagher also said NOPD claimed that records he requested relating to a series of internal investigations do not exist, before someone later anonymously sent Gallagher a stack of some of the records.

“The City seems determined to withhold legitimate public records requests to avoid the consequence of their release,” said Gallagher, whose suit is being handled by the Tulane First Amendment Clinic. “Public records laws were enacted to ensure public officials cannot hide behind a veil of secrecy. These records should be released in a timely manner, not months or years after my request is made.”

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