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Articles by Rob Krieger
Fired NOPD sergeant's payroll fraud case referred to federal prosecutors, source says
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The felony case against fired New Orleans Police Department Sgt. Henry Burke has been referred to the U.S. attorney's office, a source confirmed to FOX 8. The referral opens the door for federal prosecutors to conduct their own investigation into allegations first exposed by FOX 8's “Unchecked Overtime” series. Last summer, FOX 8 began investigating some of NOPD's highest overtime earners.
Fired NOPD sergeant’s payroll fraud case referred to federal prosecutors, source says
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The felony case against fired New Orleans Police Department Sgt. Henry Burke has been referred to the U.S. attorney’s office, a source confirmed to FOX 8. The referral opens the door for federal prosecutors to conduct their own investigation into allegations first exposed by FOX 8’s “Unchecked Overtime” series. Last summer, FOX 8 began investigating some of NOPD’s highest overtime earners.
NOPD sergeant fired after undercover investigation reveals payroll violations
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - One of the New Orleans Police Department’s highest-paid officers has been fired following FOX 8’s months-long undercover investigation “Unchecked Overtime” that uncovered multiple potential payroll violations. Sgt. Henry Burke was issued his termination letter Thursday after the NOPD confirmed its internal investigation concluded he had committed multiple counts of payroll violations and multiple counts of submitting inaccurate reports.
New Orleans saves $8.3M in police overtime after Fox 8 investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Office of Inspector General is crediting significant changes inside the Police Department for a 45-percent drop in police overtime spending in the first six months of this year. Inspector General Ed Michel said the savings are tied directly to changes the department made following a Fox 8 series of investigations into unchecked overtime that showed officers on the clock receiving taxpayer dollars while they were at home.
NOPD investigates fifth officer for timekeeping misconduct as former superintendent calls for accountability
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department is investigating a fifth officer for potential timekeeping misconduct, and a former superintendent says consequences should extend up the chain of command. The biometric devices the department started using to ensure officers show up for all scheduled and overtime shifts have been in precincts for years.
NOPD identifies another officer in overtime investigation after Fox 8 reports
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New Orleans police have identified potential misconduct involving another officer’s timekeeping practices as new payroll policies take effect following Fox 8’s Unchecked Overtime investigation. The NOPD confirmed officer Christopher Kalka is under internal investigation.
NOPD tightens overtime rules after Fox 8 investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department is tightening its payroll and overtime policies after Fox 8’s Unchecked Overtime investigation uncovered officers at home while timesheets showed they were on the clock and detailed edited time punches, and shared supervisor credentials. NOPD announced Friday that updated payroll, overtime and timekeeping policies will take effect May 10.
NOPD officer’s time punches edited after shifts, Fox 8 investigation finds
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A months-long Fox 8 investigation into New Orleans Police Department overtime has uncovered new questions about timesheets, edited biometric punches and shared supervisor login credentials. Fox 8’s “Unchecked Overtime” investigation used an undercover camera to find four of NOPD’s highest-paid officers at home while timesheets showed they were on the clock. One of those officers, Sgt. Henry Burke, now faces 10 felony counts.
Watchdog says NOPD overtime policy failures may have cost city millions
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department broke its own policies for years, creating the risk of timekeeping and overtime abuse that may have cost the city millions, according to findings from the Office of Inspector General. The findings mirror a months-long Fox 8 investigation into NOPD timecards that found officers at home or outside their assigned districts while timesheets showed they were on the clock.
Inspector General finds NOPD overtime policy violations, says spending doubled since 2022 Original
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - An urgent new letter by city Inspector General Ed Michel says the New Orleans Police Department has allowed widespread breakdowns in timekeeping and overtime controls, allowing overtime costs to more than double in three years and exposing the city to “significant financial and compliance risks.” In a public letter dated Wednesday (April 29) to NOPD Supt.
NOPD overtime investigation finds more sergeants at home while on the clock
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New questions are emerging in Fox 8’s NOPD overtime investigation after cameras found two high-paid sergeants at home while timesheets showed they were on the clock for regular shifts.
Teen pianist River Eckert is carrying New Orleans music into the future
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - River Eckert is not old enough to get into some of the clubs where he is already turning heads. At 16, the New Orleans pianist is building a name on some of the city’s best-known stages, from Tipitina’s to the Maple Leaf and House of Blues. He has played major local festivals, earned the respect of established musicians and become one of the young artists carrying the city’s music tradition forward.
Teen pianist River Eckert is carrying New Orleans music into the future
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - River Eckert is not old enough to get into some of the clubs where he is already turning heads. At 16, the New Orleans pianist is building a name on some of the city’s best-known stages, from Tipitina’s to the Maple Leaf and House of Blues. He has played major local festivals, earned the respect of established musicians and become one of the young artists carrying the city’s music tradition forward.
Jazz Fest opens at 11 a.m. as New Orleans fills up for first big day Original
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The wait is over for Jazz Fest fans. Gates to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival open Thursday, April 23, at 11 a.m., kicking off the first day of one of the city’s biggest weekends of the year. By Wednesday night, visitors were already arriving across New Orleans, with crowds building on Frenchmen Street and festivalgoers counting down the hours until the Fair Grounds opened.
Nearly 10,000 without power in Tangipahoa Parish
HAMMOND, La. (WVUE) - Nearly 10,000 customers in Tangipahoa Parish lost power Friday morning as outages that began around 6:52 a.m. expanded across a wide area on both sides of Interstate 12. The outages are concentrated on the east side of Hammond, outside of central Hammond, and extend south toward Ponchatoula. Entergy said the Friday morning outage is related to power outages that began following severe weather Wednesday night.
Sewerage & Water Board tool lets residents track water main repairs near them
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - As the Sewerage & Water Board continues to address water main breaks across the city, residents can track repair work in their neighborhood using an online tool available on the agency’s website. The tool, found under the “Projects” tab on the Sewerage & Water Board’s website, displays a map of all current work orders. As of the latest check, the board had 1,740 active water work orders, 259 sewer work orders and more than 1,000 paving orders.
NOPD overtime investigation reveals thousands of timesheet edits
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Two New Orleans Police Department officers, under internal investigation after Fox 8 found them spending time at home while claiming to be working, had their timesheets edited thousands of times, according to internal records obtained by Fox 8. Sgt. Henry Burke clocked at least 4,529 hours last year, according to NOPD payroll records. That requires working more than 12 hours a day, every single day of the year.
NOPD overtime investigation reveals thousands of timesheet edits
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Two New Orleans Police Department officers, under internal investigation after Fox 8 found them spending time at home while claiming to be working, had their timesheets edited thousands of times, according to internal records obtained by Fox 8. Sgt. Henry Burke clocked at least 4,529 hours last year, according to NOPD payroll records. That requires working more than 12 hours a day, every single day of the year.
Moreno calls participating in Mardi Gras tradition “one of the greatest honors of my life”
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Mayor Helena Moreno rode in the Zulu parade Tuesday morning, marking her first participation in the Mardi Gras tradition as New Orleans mayor. Moreno rode atop NOPD Officer Teddy, a four-year-old horse from the mounted patrol unit. “It’s really one of the greatest honors of my life to have the opportunity to do this. Very few people get the chance to do this, to do this as mayor,” Moreno said during the parade.
Arrest documents detail NOPD sergeant’s alleged falsifying of department records
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New Orleans Police Department Sgt. Henry Burke faces 10 felony charges after investigators said he falsified official police records while claiming he was working overtime shifts in the Mid-City Security District. The arrest documents mirror a Fox 8 investigation that used undercover cameras to show Burke at his home on four different days when his timesheets showed he was on the clock for the department.
Fox 8 investigation finds NOPD officers violated dept. policy while under investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Two New Orleans Police Department officers who were the subject of a Fox 8 investigation violated department policy in the weeks after the investigation, newly obtained documents reveal. The findings come just a day after the NOPD arrested one of the officers, accusing him of payroll fraud and injuring public records. Sgt. Henry Burke faces 10 felony counts.
Police sergeant faces felony charges following FOX 8 overtime investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A New Orleans Police Department sergeant faces 10 felony counts following a FOX 8 investigation into unchecked overtime. The department arrested Sgt. Henry Burke on Tuesday. The 28-year veteran of the force faces four counts of payroll fraud and six counts of injuring public records. In 2024, Burke made more than $121,000 in overtime alone, according to records obtained by FOX 8. Burke brought home nearly $245,903 that year.
NOPD sergeant arrested on payroll fraud charges following FOX 8 investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department’s Public Integrity Bureau has arrested Sergeant Henry Burke on four counts of Public Payroll Fraud and six counts of injuring public records. Burke has been placed on emergency suspension without pay pending the outcome of the investigation. The New Orleans Police Department’s highest overtime earner, Sergeant Henry Burke, collected $245,903 in 2024.
Missing plans, repeated estimates: Fox 8 investigates city’s procedure for awarding public work
HARAHAN, La. (WVUE) - The city of Harahan paid more than $563,000 to an unlicensed contractor to build its Park of Heroes memorial without following a formal bid process, a FOX 8 investigation found. The city paid Galaforo Companies to construct the memorial in 2024, splitting the work into at least 25 different phases, with all but one falling under the $50,000 threshold that would require a licensed contractor.
Scheduled Entergy outage planned for Garyville area Tuesday
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH (WVUE) — Entergy has scheduled a power outage for areas in Garyville beginning at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The outage is expected to last until at least 4 p.m. Customers with questions or needing information can call Entergy at 1-800-9-OUTAGE. See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline. Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel. Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.
NOPD failed to report millions in overtime; OIG investigation finds major verification gaps
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Office of Inspector General says in a new letter the NOPD was not reporting millions of dollars in overtime to city officials last year. The report mirrors details uncovered in FOX 8’s unchecked overtime investigation. The OIG’s report shows some supervisors were not verifying officers actually worked the overtime they claimed on their timesheets.
NOPD records show some top earners may have broken overtime policy
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A FOX 8 investigation using undercover cameras found two of the New Orleans Police Department’s highest-paid officers were at home when timesheets indicated they were on the clock. The months-long investigation prompted the NOPD to launch an internal inquiry into Sgt. Henry Burke and Senior Police Officer Brandon Coleman for potential department violations. FOX 8 reviewed timesheets for NOPD’s top 10 highest overtime earners in 2024.
NOPD issues new timesheet rules after Fox 8 investigation found officers at home while on the clock
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -- The New Orleans Police Department has changed how officers clock in for overtime shifts following an investigation that found potential timesheet violations by high-earning officers. The order says, beginning immediately, NOPD officers working scheduled overtime shifts must clock in using the biometric time clocks in their specific district or assignment location.
NOPD confirms internal investigation following Fox 8 Unchecked Overtime investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department confirms it has launched an internal investigation following a Fox 8 investigation that revealed two of the department’s highest-paid officers spent time at home when their timesheets indicated they should have been at work. Fox 8’s investigation found both Sergeant Henry Burke and Senior Police Officer Brandon Coleman clocked hours for the NOPD when an undercover camera showed them at home.
Undercover cameras catch NOPD officers at home while clocking hours
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Police Department’s highest overtime earner, Sergeant Henry Burke, collected $245,903 in 2024. NOPD pay records show Burke earned nearly a quarter of a million dollars despite a base salary of just over $83,000. Burke earned $121,460 in overtime last year, more than his regular salary. He was not alone among NOPD officers collecting substantial overtime pay. In 2024, 23 NOPD officers earned more in overtime than their base salary.
NOPD Chief changes suspension protocol following Fox 8 investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick says she’s making an immediate change to her protocol regarding some officer suspensions, following a Fox 8 investigation. Fox 8’s investigation detailed that former officer Maurice Bailey was caught on his body-worn camera smoking meth on duty. During an administrative investigation, Bailey admitted to smoking meth while on duty and told the investigator he was dealing with an addiction.
NOPD data shows department failing to follow own drug testing policy
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - A New Orleans Police Department officer who was recorded smoking methamphetamine while on duty returned to work within weeks of an internal investigation’s conclusion—despite testing positive for drugs and admitting to months of on-duty drug use. Officer Maurice Bailey was caught on his own body-worn camera smoking meth during his overnight shift in December 2023 while driving down Highway 11 in his NOPD unit.
New Orleans police officer Maurice Bailey caught smoking meth on camera video returns to duty after investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - On Dec. 5, 2023, former NOPD Officer Maurice Bailey’s body-worn camera captured video as the officer drove through the NOPD’s Seventh District while smoking meth. Days later, an NOPD sergeant conducting a random review of body-worn camera footage spotted the video, which showed Bailey using a lighter to torch a white substance into a cloud inside a glass pipe. Bailey was immediately ordered to submit to a drug screening.
New Orleans police officer Maurice Bailey caught smoking meth on camera video returns to duty after investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - On Dec. 5, 2023, former NOPD Officer Maurice Bailey’s body-worn camera captured video as the officer drove through the NOPD’s Seventh District while smoking meth. Days later, an NOPD sergeant conducting a random review of body-worn camera footage spotted the video, which showed Bailey using a lighter to torch a white substance into a cloud inside a glass pipe. CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX 8 INVESTIGATIONS Bailey was immediately ordered to submit to a drug screening.
New Orleans police officer Maurice Bailey caught smoking meth on camera video returns to duty after investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - On Dec. 5, 2023, former NOPD Officer Maurice Bailey’s body-worn camera captured video as the officer drove through the NOPD’s Seventh District while smoking meth. Days later, an NOPD sergeant conducting a random review of body-worn camera footage spotted the video, which showed Bailey using a lighter to torch a white substance into a cloud inside a glass pipe. Bailey was immediately ordered to submit to a drug screening.
New Orleans police officer caught smoking meth on camera video returns to duty after investigation
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - On Dec. 5, 2023, former NOPD Officer Maurice Bailey’s body-worn camera captured video as the officer drove through the NOPD’s Seventh District while smoking meth. Days later, an NOPD sergeant conducting a random review of body-worn camera footage spotted the video, which showed Bailey using a lighter to torch a white substance into a cloud inside a glass pipe. Bailey was immediately ordered to submit to a drug screening.
Nitrous oxide still sold legally across U.S. as Louisiana pushes for tougher laws
(InvestigateTV) — It’s a substance commonly referred to as “laughing gas,” but there’s nothing funny about what nitrous oxide is doing to people across the country. Sold in smoke shops in bright packaging and flavored varieties, the gas is marketed for use in whipped cream dispensers, but abused for euphoric highs. Investigative Reporter Rob Krieger traveled to New England, where nitrous oxide remains legal and accessible, even at smoke shops just blocks from high schools.
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