Harry Lee (August 27, 1932 – October 1, 2007) was an American law enforcement officer best known as the long-time sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

[2] Lee attended Francis T. Nicholls High School and graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in geology.

His leadership was instrumental in the peaceful racial integration of New Orleans restaurants, in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

At this time, he also attended Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, where he was elected president of the student chapter of the Bar Association.

Lee was a political insider in Louisiana, and had close personal contacts with former Governor Edwards and the Boggs family in New Orleans.

Without video poker, Lee said that Jefferson Parish would lose nearly $4 million annually in public revenues.

Most memorably, the morning before Katrina hit New Orleans, Lee appeared on emergency radio, with a message for those who had not yet evacuated: "You better haul ass!

[citation needed] Most of the looting that did take place in Jefferson Parish occurred in Terrytown and Gretna, which borders on Algiers and the Crescent City Connection.

In the first week after the storm, Sheriff Lee and Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson Jr ordered Gretna police officers and Jefferson Parish deputies[8] to set up a roadblock on the Crescent City Connection and prevent New Orleans[9] evacuees from crossing.

[10][11] Lee was named as a co-defendant in the subsequent lawsuits, as he was directly involved in ordering the bridge barricaded.

Since his death, unused funds totalling more than $250,000 from his campaign war chest[clarification needed] have been donated to the church in accordance to his will.

Lee had qualified to run in the October 20 primary against Harahan Police Chief Peter Dale and contractor Julio Castillo.