Anthony Bakewell, a former New Orleans Police Department lieutenant who had only recently joined the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office, resigned on Friday after renewed attention on his 2025 firing from the NOPD. A civil service record shows that his termination was upheld after investigators concluded he sexually harassed a subordinate and committed administrative misconduct, a combination that is once again raising questions about hiring and vetting at the sheriff's office.
As reported by WWL-TV, Bakewell stepped down on June 5, 2026, shortly after local coverage highlighted the civil service ruling that backed his dismissal. WWL-TV noted that he had only recently been hired by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office before his quick exit.
Civil Service Commission Upheld Firing
The New Orleans Civil Service Commission decision traces the case back to a complaint from the Office of Independent Police Monitor that triggered both criminal and administrative investigations and ultimately led the commission to deny Bakewell's appeal. The ruling recounts testimony that he "slapped her on her behind, and said, 'You nasty bitch, you don't have no drawers on,'" and details additional comments and text messages that a chiefs panel found showed repeated harassment.
The commission concluded that the behavior damaged public trust and justified increasing the recommended penalty, resulting in termination, according to the New Orleans Civil Service Commission.
Payroll Misconduct And 'Double-Dipping'
Alongside the harassment findings, records cited in local investigations and the civil service file flagged payroll and overtime problems, including allegations that Bakewell claimed more than the department's 16 hour, 35 minute daily cap and was paid for overlapping on-duty shifts and off-duty detail work. An earlier investigation by FOX 8 found officers, including Bakewell, listed on payrolls in ways that suggested double billing, with one record showing him on a 44 hour stretch with only two hours off.
Those payroll concerns have fed broader probes into the NOPD's secondary employment system and stoked ongoing questions about oversight of off-duty work.
Questions About The Hire
With Bakewell now gone from the sheriff's office almost as quickly as he arrived, local reporters are digging into how he was hired in the first place and whether Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office officials knew about the findings that led to his NOPD termination. As WWL-TV notes, the questions land at a time when the office is already facing heightened scrutiny over management and oversight.
Legal Implications
The commission's order notes that Bakewell received a criminal summons tied to the misconduct allegations and that a municipal court disposition was considered as part of the administrative record. It also points out that NOPD policy allows for discipline even without a criminal conviction.
Payroll irregularities can bring criminal exposure in some circumstances, and prior local reporting has documented federal and state investigators examining similar off-duty pay practices at the department. At this point, local coverage has not identified any new criminal charges against Bakewell.
Bakewell's resignation is a relatively small but telling development in New Orleans law enforcement, landing as the sheriff's office remains under the microscope after last year's high profile jail escape and the recent indictment of former Sheriff Susan Hutson, which drew national coverage via CBS News. For now, local newsrooms say they are continuing to chase hiring records and press OPSO officials for answers on how the short lived hire happened in the first place.
