Then, we started hearing from business owners that they needed a new one, because someone had stolen theirs right off their storefront window.

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Because the department was so riddled with problems, some thought a true outsider was needed, someone with no history in New Orleans and no allegiances inside the department.

ECONOMIST: Police charges in New Orleans

In 1995 a venture-capitalist friend had just invested in a new web-search technology and needed someone to turn it into a business.

ECONOMIST: Face value