NEW ORLEANS — New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick struck two people while driving in the French Quarter on Saturday, according to NOPD.
Officers said it happened near N. Peters and Iberville Streets. They said a man and woman were hit by a vehicle Kirkpatrick was driving.
On Sunday, NOPD said in a release, "Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick was on duty at the time of the accident and [was] returning home from visiting an injured officer at the hospital."
Police said the woman who was hit suffered minor injuries and was released after being treated. Officers said the man is not claiming any injuries at this time.
According to NOPD, "Superintendent Kirkpatrick took a breathalyzer and urinalysis as per departmental accident protocol. The breathalyzer returned a result of 0.00. The urinalysis results will be returned within a few days".
NOPD said the case will be turned over to the Louisiana State Police for review, following the completion of the accident investigation by the department's Traffic Section.
WWL Louisiana's Meg Farris was on the scene and spoke to shop owners who said the incident drew a crowd of about 50 people.
We also noticed crime cameras in the area and we are working to get video of the incident. Pictures on social media show Kirkpatrick was not in uniform at the time.
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time. We're working to learn more information.
Here is a statement from the Office of the Independent Police Monitor regarding Superintendent Kirkpatrick's car accident that occurred over the weekend.
"The Office of the Independent Police Monitor is aware of the accident that occurred involving Superintendent Kirkpatrick on August 3, 2024. The OIPM was not notified of the accident and learned of the incident from social media and subsequent reporting. The OIPM thanks the community for reaching out about this incident and understands their concerns regarding whether investigation protocol was executed at the scene. The OIPM cannot provide any monitoring assessment on the scene since the OIPM did not monitor the investigation.
Currently, under the OIPM Charter and the Memorandum of Understanding between the New Orleans Police Department and the OIPM, there is no obligation for the NOPD to notify the OIPM of this type of incident. Moving forward, the OIPM intends to formally recommend that the notification requirement be expanded, providing the OIPM the opportunity to monitor additional investigations conducted by the NOPD such as this one. Monitoring these types of investigations regarding NOPD leadership and elected officials would enable the OIPM to ensure the integrity of the investigation, adherence to relevant law and policy, and can increase public trust in the process through transparency and accountability."
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