Just when you thought we'd finally found rock bottom at the Orleans Parish Justice Center, Sheriff Susan Hutson picked up her shovel, got to work, and dug through to an entirely new rock bottom, the likes of which we never could have imagined.
News spread like wildfire at the end of last week: The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office accidentally released inmate Khalil Bryan. And just so we’re all clear, Bryan isn’t a petty criminal. He’s charged with multiple accounts of violent crimes, including an active warrant for aggravated assault with a firearm.
The victims of Bryan and witnesses in his prosecution had to be notified of the mistake. Now, they must alter their lifestyle and make emergency preparations to deal with the monumental error made by Hutson and her operation.
Sound familiar? We’ve heard this story before.
“I want folks to know this should not have happened,” Hutson said in an apology address. “This was a failure of internal processes.”
“I want to make a sincere apology to the people of New Orleans. The mistaken release of Khalil Bryan was a serious error. And as sheriff, I take full responsibility,” Hutson continued.
Candidly, at this point, I’m surprised that she grasps the fact that this ought not have happened. It keeps happening. Reports show that this isn't the first time. This same accident happened twice prior under her administration, according to WDSU. And to be clear, these are instances completely separate from the prison break.
As I listened to the press conference, it was clear she’s getting all too comfortable uttering these apologies without any fear of consequence. She's also become very experienced at stating the painfully obvious: We know these mistakes are on you, and we all know that your chances of reelection are below sea level. So why do you insist on continuing when things are only getting worse?
That said, I will repeat myself, because I’m tired of hearing Huston do just that. I'm tired of her routine apologies for endangering our community over and over again. She needs to resign.
Her resignation must happen for the practical reason that, under her control, the OP jail has become an international joke and a byword for poor governance. But she also needs to resign for the symbolic reason that our city must turn a new page in a big way if we’re to maintain a community that’s worth living in and investing in.
We already have a population crisis, and there are folks right now trying to decide whether New Orleans is a place they want to live. We’ve done a good job tackling crime, but if we can't keep criminals in a confinement facility, what’s the point?
When we consider the millions and millions of dollars spent putting up bars, tracking keys, training staff, and upkeeping computer programs necessary to keep the worst of the worst of this city off the streets, appropriately and according to law, it gets discouraging when our leaders fail to uphold their end of the bargain.
I don’t need to repeat what I’ve been repeating all along. The workflows of a jail that holds 1,100 inmates are broken. They’re escaping, they’re being released accidentally, the processes for managing them are in ruin, they’re threatening staff and gaining access to tools. It’s a mess.
So, Sheriff Hutson, it’s not good enough for you to go to the podium and say, “This is on me.”
Because guess what? It’s not on you. Yes, it’s your error. But you’re not the one who has to pay. It’s on the community, those who pay your salary. They’re the ones at risk.
And when you add to the equation all the work done by arresting agencies, whether it's the NOPD or the Louisiana State Police, who risk their lives to recapture individuals to make the community safer, how do you think they feel that the risk they're taking in this manhunt comes down to a simple clerical error?
That’s why you are compelled to go.
Again—it’s not on you. It’s on the community. Do right by them and resign.
Credible leaders know when it's time. Not to suggest that you ever were a credible leader, but there’s still time to do the right thing.