NEW ORLEANS — According to an internal memo obtained by WWL Louisiana, Jeffery Vappie is set to retire from his position with the NOPD on June 29, 2024.
Officer Vappie’s retirement comes after he was removed from the Mayor’s executive security detail in April and reassigned pending the results of an internal NOPD investigation.
Sources tell WWL Louisiana that resigning or retiring while under investigation most likely means he will not be able to get another law enforcement position, and Vappie will still face criminal exposure for his payroll fraud investigation.
The Public Integrity Bureau is investigating Vappie on several potential violations of NOPD policy, including possible conflicts of interest by the mayor socializing with an employee, as well as a failure to uphold basic executive protection procedures.
Photos surfaced in April showing Vappie with Mayor Cantrell at a French Quarter restaurant. Vappie is not guarding a door or balcony entrance, or looking for potential threats. Instead, he’s seated at the table across from Cantrell, smiling and looking out over the balcony railing while Cantrell’s eyes are glued on him.
He was also the subject of a federal investigation into payroll fraud in 2023.
Vappie was most recently assigned to the superintendent’s office.
He was hired by NOPD in 1997.
This is a developing story. We’ll have more information on the WWL Louisiana news at 10.
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