21 April 2014

LA STATE SUPREME COURT DENIES REQUESTS FOR APPEAL

When we last updated you on our lawsuit, we were in the process of appealing the 4th Circuit's decision to the Louisiana Supreme Court.  We felt that the Appeals court had erred in its decision to declare that the uniform contract needed to be rebid.  State law dictates that the low bidder should receive a contract, and as the only submission besides the sham Signal 26 bid that the 4th circuit ruled "an absolute nullity", we felt (and still feel) that the contract should have immediately been awarded to A.P.E.

The State Supreme Court decided not to hear our appeal. Two justices of seven voted in favor of hearing our appeal, but we did not get the other two votes necessary for the court to hear our argument.  In a related note, the City of New Orleans also filed an appeal, which absolutely zero (none, zip, nada) of the judges wanted to hear.  Yet again, the City was wasting its time and your money.

So where does that leave us now?  The officers of NOPD suffered almost one whole year, trying to get the items they need to perform their duties from (in our and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals' opinion) an unqualified company that didn't have the expertise or the wherewithal to handle a contract of this magnitude.  The vouchers are finished as of March 31, 2014.  We heard, even before this decision came down, that the City (showing somewhat good judgment for once) had decided not to renew with Signal 26 and to rebid the contract. At this point, we are reviewing our options as far as what legal rights we have regarding the bid and contract situation.  This may prove to be an exercise in futility, but it could be a necessary exercise, legally.

If you are reading this and care about the uniform contract situation- if you do not want a repeat of the debacle of the last year- PLEASE make sure to voice your concerns to your rank, ask them to address the situation with their rank, until it reaches the decision-maker's ears.  The one thing heard in A.P.E.'s offices repeatedly from police organization heads, Captains, Commanders, etc., was that they were getting NO COMPLAINTS and therefore were not interested in the issue.  The uniform contract may not be as important to you as the OPSE ruse or the Mayor's meddling with the Civil Service rules, but your voice can still be heard if you choose to use it.