NEW ORLEANS — The director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness was booked on drunk driving charges on Thursday.
Records from the Orleans Parish Jail show that Collin Arnold was booked at 7:53 a.m. Thursday on charges of driving while drunk and careless operation.
City Press Secretary Latonya Norton confirmed that Arnold was in a city-owned vehicle that was involved in a crash around 12:30 a.m.
Norton said Arnold "displayed signs of being intoxicated but refused a breathalyzer test." He was booked into OPSO.
"All normal procedures were followed by the NOPD," said Norton's statement. "The Mayor expects this to be handled like any other case. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken once all the facts have been determined."
Mayor Cantrell said she was disappointed in the news.
"My last communication with Director Arnold was last night around 10:15pm, regarding potential weather challenges in our area. I am disappointed by the incident that occurred hours later, and deeply relieved that no one was hurt. Collin Arnold has done a phenomenal job helping to keep this City and our people safe during an extraordinary and unprecedented series of challenges. We have a strong team at NOHSEP and I am confident they will not let this hinder the great work they continue to do.”
Arnold has been at the forefront of the city's response to several major events over the past few years, including all of the hurricanes and tropical storms from 2020, the collapse of the Hard Rock hotel site and the COVID response.
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