Treading Water
A New Orleans Police Officer’s Memoir of Survival and Service during Hurricane Katrina
Coming soon to Amazon
Coming soon to Amazon
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor. —Aristotle
August 2005 is forever seared in memory for Chad Perez, a New Orleans police officer born and raised in the city he served. Hurricane Katrina had quickly escalated from tropical storm to worst nightmare for thousands of New Orleanians.
First responders were forced to make a choice: stay and help, or leave and abandon.
For Chad and many officers, there was no choice. Treading Water is his story from those fateful days, along with experiences before and after and what he’s learned about honor, heroism, and humanity. This powerful memoir shared from the front lines provides a perspective most have only imagined. Now, learn about the challenges faced, the resilience required to survive, and the beloved city that remains forever changed. Honest and inspirational, Treading Water is a profound portrayal of being courageous when it matters most.
“Everyone got quiet, waiting for the captain to speak.
He looked out at all of us. "Look," said the captain. "We’ve got to evacuate the station. There’s nothing else to do. The waters are coming and they say the city is going to flood all the way to the river. We have to leave."
This felt like a gut punch. Deserting the station went against all my instincts, but things were deteriorating. Lawlessness was becoming more widespread. If the city ever needed strong law enforcement, this was the time.
"But I tell you this," continued the captain. "We’re going to live together. Or we’re going to die together. But we’re going to stay together."
The lobby went quiet enough to hear a pin drop. I looked at the officers around the room. Heads began to nod. I felt it move through all of us at the same time. That shift from uncertainty to resolve. He spoke for all of us. My blue family was going to push through this.”
Meet Chad Perez
Chad Perez is a serial entrepreneur and highly-decorated law enforcement veteran who has served in SWAT, Narcotics, and Gang Investigations. He has received eleven award medals, including a Medal of Merit, Purple Heart, and Lifesaving Medal, and is a two-time Officer of the Year recipient. Following his law enforcement career, Chad founded Pinnacle Security and scaled it to four hundred employees, earning a spot on the Inc. magazine list of fastest-growing private companies four times. He is the co-founder and CEO of Aegis Response, a business providing alternative response services for law enforcement agencies. Chad lives outside of New Orleans with his wife, Leighet, their son, Braiden, and their dog, Max.
