GANGSTERS & OUTLAWS > COPS & OTHER CHARACTERS

Blue on Blue: Murder, Madness and Betrayal in the NOPD

Warning Signs

Antoinette Frank

Frank said she always wanted to be a police officer. Born in Opelousas, she was a member of the Opelousas Junior Police and the New Orleans Police Explorers. When she turned 20, Frank applied to the New Orleans Police Department.

Almost immediately, Frank's application ran into problems. The applicant investigation unit discovered Frank had been fired from Wal-Mart and had lied about it on her application. She also scored poorly on two standardized psychological evaluations. The psychologist who reviewed Frank's tests recommended a psychiatric interview.

Dr. Philip Scurria

Dr. Philip Scurria, a board-certified psychiatrist, evaluated Frank on 14 characteristics relevant to the job of a police officer. He rated Frank as unacceptable or below average in most. In his report, Dr. Scurria wrote that Frank "seemed shallow and superficial." He concluded by saying, "I do not feel ... that the applicant is suitable for the job of police officer."

Apparently depressed over her faltering job prospects, Frank disappeared. She left a half-baked suicide note addressed to her father at a downtown office building. Her dad filed a missing-persons report, but Frank turned up the next day.

Less than three weeks later the police department hired her anyway.