NEW ORLEANS — Suspended New Orleans Homeland Security Director Collin Arnold was a no-show at his first appearance in traffic court Tuesday morning in response to his Jan. 7 arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and careless operation.
An attorney entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Arnold, who is nearing the end of his 20-day suspension without pay following his arrest after he crashed into a parked car in front of RTA headquarters in the 2800 block of Canal St.
A police report states that officers found Arnold passed out behind the wheel of his city-issued Ford Expedition just after midnight and had to be awakened by an officer “shaking his chest.”
Arnold, 46, smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared to be “severely intoxicated,” states the report by NOPD Officer Jisang Kim.
“The driver’s speech was slurred, spoke in incomplete sentences, and had droopy eyes as if he was about to fall asleep again,” the report states.
In a summary of Arnold’s condition on the arrest report, Kim wrote, “Impairment: Extreme; Odor of Alcoholic Beverage: Strong; Balance: Swaying; Speech: Incoherent.”
Arnold was handcuffed at the scene, then fell and struck his head on the pavement as he was being escorted to a police vehicle. Arnold received stitches at a nearby hospital before being taken to Central Lockup, where he was booked with driving while intoxicated and careless operation.
Arnold refused a breath test after his arrest, the report states, which by law forced him to surrender his driver’s license.
Arnold has been a key member of Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration since she was elected. He was one of the few unclassified officials who was held over from the previous administration of Mayor Mitch Landrieu, retaining his post as Director of the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
After Arnold’s arrest, Cantrell expressed her disappointment. She stated that she had communicated with Arnold at about 10:15 p.m., roughly two hours before the crash.
“I am disappointed by the incident that occurred hours later, and deeply relieved that no one was hurt,” Cantrell said. “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 city’s pandemic response.
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