178 out-of-town officers will come to New Orleans for Carnival 2023

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - With some of New Orleans’ most iconic Carnival krewes getting their throws together for their nights of revelry, the city’s law enforcement officials say they have the additional help needed to pull off the parades.

178 officers from 13 agencies across the region will serve alongside the NOPD and Orleans Sheriff’s deputies to ensure safe crowds along the parade routes, CBD and French Quarter.

We now have a better look at the extra help the NOPD and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office will get this year for Carnival....

“We are all coming together to make sure we support our city and the New Orleans Police Department,” Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson said.

The extra help will amplify the NOPD manpower on the ground, as the department manages with less than 930 officers on the force - a historic low. Louisiana State Police will also dedicate 125 troopers for the season.

Most of the additional law enforcement help will come from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, which has helped the Orleans Sheriff’s Office over multiple years with Carnival and other significant events.

Jefferson Parish Joseph Lopinto says his deputies will help out the Krewe of Endymion and the Krewe of Bacchus like they do every year but also chip in when they aren’t providing security for their parish’s parades.

“The four days of parades we don’t have parades, we will probably have another 30 or so deputies out here on the street to be able to take up some real estate, make sure to keep the people of Orleans Parish safe and the people from Jefferson Parish coming to the parades,” Lopinto said.

Officers from UNO and the University of Holy Cross will also help out, joining qualified and trained deputies and officers from Southeast Louisiana.

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“They know what a constitutional arrest looks like and how they are supposed to treat folks so they know what they are doing,” Hutson said.

The extra law enforcement will be at roll call, have training on the local police radio etiquette and will receive any guidance needed to make their stay smooth.

Washington Parish Sheriff Randy Seal says helping out New Orleans in its time of need is a way of showing gratitude.

“When I became sheriff of Washington Parish some 10 and a half years ago, we didn’t have anything. If it hadn’t have been for Jefferson Parish, Orleans Parish and the other parishes around this state to help us out, we would have never made it,” Seal said. “It’s an honor to be able to come down, pay it forward and help our friends.”

Because of the tens of thousands of people expected to visit the city, Homeland Security has given Carnival a SEAR2 rating, opening up additional federal support, like a coordination team to share intelligence and medical assets.

City leaders also advise people to do their due diligence and prepare for the parades and parties beforehand. Resources like ready.nola.gov are essential.

“You will get information about parade routes, first aid stations, lost children stations and other pertinent info,” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.

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