"... I believe some unsavory LEO after Katrina did do some confiscation..."

I am currently reading Survival: How a culture of preparedness can save you and your family from disaster by Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré. It was a fact that the people who evacuated to the Superdome were searched, and weapons and drugs were confiscated. It was driving Honoré up the wall when he was informed that TSA delayed the exit of the people there until they could accumulate enough people to 'screen' the people leaving the Superdome, even though they had all been 'screened' before they were allowed to enter the place. Honoré referred to it as 'ludicrous'. Our tax dollars at work.

I have not gotten far enough into the book to see if the street cops were doing it.

Sue