Harry Lee (sheriff) - Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Sheriff Lee maintained a strong presence during Hurricane Katrina. Most memorably, the morning before Katrina hit New Orleans, Lee appeared on emergency radio, with a message for those who had not yet evacuated: "You better haul ass! Y'all should have left yesterday." The previous evening, he had let the community know that his birthday party had been cancelled.

Lee was one of the few New Orleans politicians to maintain his pre-Katrina popularity. During the storm, Parish President Aaron Broussard evacuated all Parish personnel directly under his control to St. Tammany Parish on the Northshore, including the drainage pump operators. This is widely considered the primary cause of flooding on the Eastbank of Jefferson Parish. However, the Sheriff's Office in Jefferson Parish is independent of the Parish President and operates directly under an elected Sheriff.

When storm conditions dissipated, Jefferson Parish deputies immediately began patrolling all major commercial roads and even individual neighborhoods in the Parish. Most of the Parish at this time had been evacuated, and communications were nearly non-existent. Parish deputies were the only form of security in the Parish in the first week after the storm.

Most of the looting that did take place in Jefferson Parish occurred in Terrytown and Gretna, which borders on Algiers and the Crescent City Connection. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office has jurisdiction over all of unincorporated Jefferson Parish, while incorporated cities such as Gretna, Kenner, Harahan and Westwego have their own independent city governments and police departments. In the first week after the storm, Gretna police officers were accused of preventing New Orleans evacuees from crossing the Crescent City Connection (Outside their jurisdiction) in an effort to prevent looting. It should be noted however, that Gretna officers did not block the actual Crescent City Connection (bridge), but attempted to prevent entry into Gretna city limits from exits leading into their city. This action has been praised by Gretna residents but criticized by many Orleans Parish elected officials. As the Gretna Police Department is independent of the Sheriff's Office, Lee bears no responsibility for these actions.