Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson says she disagrees with the New Orleans Inspector General's Office's report finding that the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office committed "wasteful and unnecessary" spending of tax dollars when it booked hotel rooms for law enforcement officers during Mardi Gras and allowed those rooms to go unused.
Inspector General Ed Michel's report, released Wednesday, upheld claims made by former OPSO chief financial officer David Trautenberg, who expressed concerns that the $18,000-expense for those hotel rooms in the French Quarter were "unnecessary" and a "bad look to the taxpayers." Hutson later fired Trautenberg, who is now suing Hutson and the OPSO.
"At all times, (the) OPSO has cooperated fully with the investigation by making staff available and providing any documents requested by the IG," Hutson said in a statement emailed to local media by her spokesperson. "We disagree with the IG’s characterization of our effort to keep residents and visitors safe by providing hotel rooms for our officers providing security at Mardi Gras. The safety of our citizens is always paramount. OPSO believes we identified a suitable way to provide the housing, but the IG has disagreed."
In a second statement, Hutson accused the Inspector General's Office of not keeping her abreast of what was happening in the investigation.
“As an oversight practitioner for 17 years, I always met with and provided a draft report to any agency that was the subject of our reports," Hutson said. "I would have appreciated being provided that same professional courtesy from the IG. The IG did not provide a copy of his report for me to review, nor was I asked any questions by the IG or his personnel to provide meaningful insight on this matter. Instead, I have been asked my the media (sic) to respond to an embargoed copy of a report I had not seen. As the Sheriff of Orleans Parish, I am dedicated to upholding the highest ethical and legal standards and will keep my attention on my duties of providing care, custody and control.”
