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New Orleans 911 Director says he's stepping away from the job

Tyrell Morris came under fire after he was involved in a car accident in an OPCD vehicle, and the events afterward generated controversy.

NEW ORLEANS — 911 Orleans Parish Communication Director Tyrell Morris announces he is stepping down from his position.

Tyrell Morris came under fire after he was involved in a car accident in an OPCD vehicle on May 7th. The policy states if involved in a crash in a department vehicle the driver needs to submit to a blood test for possible drug and alcohol use. Morris didn't do that. 

Eyewitness News reported he allegedly altered public documents to say a drug and alcohol test was only needed if there was an injury in the crash.

Orleans Parish Communication District commissioner Dr. Brobson Lutz called for Morris to resign.

"I think he would've been terminated by the board tomorrow," Dr. Lutz said.

A meeting was scheduled to discuss Morris's fate on July 11th.

"Public trust was gone, the public trust is essential for this job and without the public trust you can't be an effective director and he blew it," Dr. Lutz said.

He says the focus now should be on finding an interim director.

"It needs to be careful, it needs to be thought-out. It needs to consider a person's background and their experience," he said.

Councilman Oliver Thomas agrees. 

"I would hope that it would be somebody within the system, who's been trained and understands how to operate it and I have a biased, I hope it would be someone from New Orleans, who understands 911, who understands the call system, who understands law enforcement and how important the job is to the citizens," Thomas said. "That phone call could not only save your life, stabilize your life and in many cases prevent something bad from happening, that's important."

The Board did not ask Tyrell Morris to leave.  

"To ensure the steady continuity of operations, Director Morris has committed to remain available to staff and the Board should the need arise," John Thomas, OPCD Chairman said.

City Council Vice President Helena Moreno said in statement, “The OPCD Board needs to work swiftly to find a new director who will work full-time to improve 911 response and correct the issues of mismanagement. This is an opportunity to now move forward with a new qualified leader for an organization that deals with our city’s most serious emergencies. To prevent issues in the future, the Council will work with our local state legislators to re-work the OPCD Board membership and allow for City Council oversight. While it is disappointing that the Board never held Mr. Morris accountable for any of his actions, the investigation by the Office of Investigator General is ongoing.”

Councilman Joe Giarrusso said, “Director Morris said he needed to attend to his personal issues after the accident and the alleged doctoring of policies. I hope he immediately tends to his health so the City can urgently find a replacement to lead the 911/311 Center.“

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