Policing and the Politics of Public and Private in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Abstract

During the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the onslaught of flooding, the single most important role for government and the public sphere was deemed to be law and order, at times to the exclusion of other public responsibilities. Law and order were articulated almost exclusively as a policing matter with the emphasis on order rather than law. Policing took different public and private forms in the early days of the flooding. This chapter examines the nature of that policing and the unquestioned presence of private police as a key element of the law and order response to Katrina in New Orleans.

Citation

Villmoare, A.H. (2007), "Policing and the Politics of Public and Private in Post-Katrina New Orleans", Sarat, A. (Ed.) Special Issue Law and Society Reconsidered (Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, Vol. 41), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 169-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1059-4337(07)00007-5