Captain Kirk promoted
NOPD official to be deputy chief
Bouyelas to replace retiring Cannatella
Thursday, May 29, 2008
By Brendan McCarthy
The Times-Picayune
The New Orleans Police Department’s commander of the Uptown district will be promoted Friday to the agency’s third-highest position as head of its operations bureau.
Major Kirk Bouyelas, a veteran officer and administrator who took over the helm of the 2nd District early last year, will be responsible, starting Sunday, for overseeing all patrol officers and specialized units, Superintendent Warren Riley said.
Bouyelas will be sworn in as a deputy chief in a ceremony Friday, Riley said. He will be the third deputy chief to hold the position in the past 18 months.
Bouyelas replaces Deputy Chief Anthony Cannatella, who will retire Friday, ending a 42-year police career.
Bouyelas is one of the department’s more computer-savvy officials. He was one of the earliest adopters of the department’s computerized composite sketches in the late 1990s. More recently, he initiated a popular “e-mail blast” system, providing crime and arrest updates to community groups in the 2nd District.
When a major crime occurred or a suspect developed in a case, Bouyelas wrote a brief dispatch and sent the e-mail to a select number of community group leaders, who then disseminated the news to their members.
Riley said Bouyelas has done a “great job” in the 2nd District, which patrols one of the most densely populated areas.
“He follows the community policing philosophy,” Riley said, who called Bouyelas a strategic thinker. Riley noted that Bouyelas previously worked as an assistant to two other deputy chiefs and is familiar with the job. His replacement will be named Friday, Riley said.
The superintendent also praised Cannatella, a well-known, longtime fixture in the agency.
“He has been an icon in the police department,” Riley said.