NEW ORLEANS — The head of New Orleans’ 9-1-1 emergency system is resigning after the New Orleans City Council learned he got into a car accident in his taxpayer-provided vehicle, failed to submit to a required drug and alcohol screening and allegedly altered an official agency policy to make it look like he didn’t have to get screened.
Tyrell Morris, who was appointed by Mayor LaToya Cantrell as the head of the Orleans Parish Communications District, announced his resignation Monday. He said he would step down in September to spend more time with family and pursue a doctoral degree, but didn’t mention that the City Council and New Orleans Inspector General have opened investigations into whether he altered a public record to cover his tracks after the May 7 accident in his public take-home vehicle.
Morris crashed the 2020 Ford Expedition with a silver Chevy Impala at 10:40 p.m. on May 7, on Elysian Fields Avenue under the Interstate 610 overpass, according to dispatch logs. The log shows that Morris, whose call sign as head of the communications district is “Comm 1,” radioed in the accident to a dispatcher and was involved in the crash. It also says the other driver was unlicensed.
But then, mysteriously, it says the two drivers somehow “exchanged information” and Morris directed the dispatcher to mark the incident as “Necessary Action Taken.” No police report was ever filed.
Original Policy
Whenever an OPCD vehicle is in a crash, OPCD Standard Operating Procedure 1.3.1, Section IX(e) says, “The operator of the OPCD vehicle(s) must take a drug and alcohol test as soon as possible. The Director of Human Resources should be contacted for the name and location of the testing facility.”
At least that’s according to the policy provided to the agency’s auditors. It’s dated May 14, 2019, and signed by Morris himself.
But when WWL-TV requested that policy this May, shortly after Morris’ accident, OPCD sent the station a policy dated the same day, also signed by Morris, that was identical except for four words of Section IX(e).
Policy received by WWL-TV
The version sent to the TV station reads, “If injuries are reported, the operator of the OPCD vehicle(s) must take a drug and alcohol test as soon as possible. The Director of Human Resources should be contacted for the name and location of the testing facility.”
WWL-TV reviewed the metadata of each document, which show when it was created or modified and by whom. The original policy file provided by the auditors -- the one that requires a drug and alcohol test for all accidents involving OPCD vehicles -- shows it was created on May 14, 2019, and never altered after that.
Metadata for the original file
The policy file sent by OPCD after Morris' car crash -- the one that says drug and alcohol tests are only necessary if injuries are reported -- shows it was modified on May 11, 2023, four days after the accident, and it shows it was altered by Tyrell Morris.
It is a crime to alter public records.
“The information regarding an allegation of unlawful altering of an OPCD public document is in the hands of appropriate authorities, who are currently reviewing this matter,” City Councilwoman Helena Moreno said.
The New Orleans Inspector General has an ongoing investigation into OPCD, and multiple sources say video of the accident, audio of Morris' radio call and the policy documents were sent to the IG.
WWL-TV reviewed video of the accident from a city crime camera. The Impala was in the far right lane and Morris was waiting at a red light in the next lane to the left. When the light turned green, Morris' vehicle veers right and hits the other car as it turns right. After stopping briefly, Morris turns on the blue emergency lights on his vehicle and turns to pull up behind the other car, which had stopped.
The accident appeared to be minor in the video. Photos of the accident show the front bumper of Morris’ vehicle was damaged and was partially detached near the passenger side tire well.
Morris’ office declined WWL-TV’s request for an interview and declined to comment on the altered policy, saying "we are focusing on the departure of Director Morris."
When WWL-TV Investigative Reporter Katie Moore questioned OPCD about the accident in May, the agency's general counsel said "no investigation has been conducted as no policy has been violated."
The attorney, Ben Chapman, told WWL-TV that Morris had been involved in "a very minor motor vehicle accident, which resulted in property damage only to his OPCD issued vehicle. Mr. Morris radioed in and was advised that no NOPD units were readily available to write a report, and accordingly Director Morris and the other driver exchanged contact and/or insurance information."
In a brief phone interview with The Times-Picayune on Monday, Morris said he is withdrawing from “all things public life” to pursue a doctoral degree and to address health issues that he said “need some attention.”
In a press release, Morris said "we don't talk about leadership wellness enough."
“It is time for me to refocus on loving and building myself. If we don’t take care of ourselves, we are no good to anyone,” Morris said.
Other controversies
The accident with his take-home vehicle is just the latest controversy to dog Morris. In March, Moreno grilled him over a series of mishandled 9-1-1 calls. The city's Inspector General also dinged his agency for its credit card and contracting processes.
Morris oversaw the district's transition to a cloud-based 9-1-1 system, signing a pair of no-bid contracts that are now the subject of a lawsuit claiming public bid violations. He also executed a no-bid contract in 2020 with Hexagon OnCall Records for a new records system for the New Orleans Police Department, though implementation has been pushed back several times amid technical glitches.
In her statement, Moreno -- in an apparent reference to Morris’ outside real estate business -- said she is "glad that Director Morris can now continue to pursue his outside interests without having to run one of the most important public safety agencies in the city." Moreno publicly called out Morris' real estate work in March, suggesting he had too much on his plate. Morris retorted that her comment was a “low blow.”
Morris’ business, The Gladiator Group, LLC, made five land and residential property acquisitions totaling more than $500,000 in 2021 and 2022, according to public records. Morris flipped one of those properties, on Mazant Street, for more than $100,000 above acquisition and construction costs.
Morris often earned high praise from Cantrell, who appointed him to lead a violent crime task force earlier this year. Cantrell said at the time she couldn't "think of a better leader to be over this command.”
The Cantrell administration did not respond to a request for comment.
-Times-Picayune reporters John Simerman and Ben Myers contributed to this report.
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