NEW ORLEANS — “The New Orleans Police Department is prepared and ready for Mardi Gras 2022,” NOPD Chief Shaun Ferguson said.
Starting this Friday and lasting until Ash Wednesday, the NOPD will transition to 12 hour shifts.
“Having that flexibility, I think we’ll be adequately staffed and we will not have any challenges, we don’t foresee any challenges,” Ferguson said.
There will also be 100 uniformed Louisiana State troopers will be in New Orleans to assist.
“Foot patrol, vehicle patrol, and we will have assets on motorcycles as well as air support,” a LSP official said.
That's down from an average of 150 troopers who typically work Mardi Gras.
“This is definitely a slight decrease to previous years due to our staffing issues,” the LSP official said.
For the second time Mardi Gras was upgraded to a special event assessment rating of 2 by the federal government, meaning more federal support to keep Mardi Gras safe. This including additional resources from the FBI, Coast Guard, and federal aviation security over parades and the French Quarter.
“There are very few events in the country that are given this,” said Collin Arnold, Director of Homeland Security. “Because of the SEAR 2, we have the federal EMS ambulance support because we asked for it.”
New Orleans EMS rented 10 ambulances for carnival season and the Orleans Parish Communication District which answers 911 calls will increase staffing capacity by 50 percent starting Friday.
City leaders are urging the public not to call 911 unless you have a true life threatening emergency.
“If you’re having a heart attack, if you’re having a stroke, we will respond to you, but please only call 911 if you have a true emergency,” said Bill Salmeron, NOEMS chief.