Maya Rodriguez / Eyewitness News
One day after Mayor Mitch Landrieu suspended a NOPD commander and the city's Director of Public Works, he refused to answer questions on the suspensions, the controversial details and the status of Chief Ronal Serpas' job.
After a round table discussion at Jazz Fest, about the cultural economy, the Mayor left quickly, refusing to answer questions, including any related to Chief Serpas, whose son-in-law and bodyguard worked for one of the detail companies.
On Friday, a spokesperson for Mayor Landrieu pointed to a statement they released to Eyewitness News Thursday night, about Chief Serpas' future saying that they, "have not had any discussion of the Chief resigning... He is our police chief."
It comes as new information emerges on companies handling details and their relation to members of the NOPD. Eyewitness News has now learned six LLC's, or Limited Liability Companies, have been suspended from doing details. Those six are either owned by a member of the NOPD, or an immediate family member.
State filings on the companies themselves include a who's who of longtime officers.
The first, which is attracting the most attention, is "Anytime Solutions." run by 8th District Commander Edwin Hosli, who was suspended by the Mayor on Thursday. It turns out, Hosli also has another LLC registered with the state: "M&E Services," which is not in good standing because it failed to file an annual report.
Other detail companies include "Bradley Rhodes Security Consultant," a company owned by NOPD Sgt. Bradley Rhodes, who has a detail outside of the city's administrative hearing office.
There's also a company called "JJW, LLC," whose agent is listed as Joann Waguespack, the wife of NOPD Capt. Joe Waguespack.
Another company: "Rosewood Watchmen, LLC," whose agent is listed as Capt. Frederick Morton of the NOPD Inspection Division. Captain Morton initially submitted a report, questioning the propriety of details at the 8th District, which the suspended Commander Hosli headed up.
Lastly, there is "New Dominion Enterprises," which Lt. Otha Sandifer is listed as owning. "New Dominion" handled details for the Downtown Development District (DDD), which has now suspended its use of police detail services.
In a statement Friday, the DDD announced, in light of its suspended use of police details, it planned to increase the use of public safety rangers. They are uniformed, but not deputized. In a separate statement, the interim commander of the 8th district said the NOPD would add more police downtown because of the detail disruption.
