Tough call there.
I can imagine his legitimate concern for how his city would have looked now. But still, if that city was more accesible to relief workers, etc...
Tough call.
He knew there was killing, burning and raping going on in NO.
Gretna's a town of 17,000 people - so I doubt he had more than a couple dozen deputies to deal with a potential marauding crowd of 100,000.
He was sworn to protect the citizens of his town and he probably felt, like a normal person, that Police Chief Compass should be in charge of protecting citizens of New Orleans.
Not really. There are no "no-go" zones in the United States under most circumstances. Unless there is a clear and present danger, freedom of travel is a guaranteed right. Mere suspicion is not enough.