The city of New Orleans today announced it has an agreement with the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office on how to fund using outside law enforcement agencies to help keep carnival parade routes safe.
"As a result, the January 23 deadline has been extended as the City finalizes its operational plans to determine if enough external law enforcement officers have signed up to work the necessary details and have a safe and successful Carnival season," said Gregory Joseph, Mayor LaToya Cantrell's Communications Director.
Joseph said this is a significant step in the process of returning Mardi Gras krewes to their pre-pandemic parade routes.
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The announcement from the mayor's office did not mention a new deadline, but said a final decision will be made this week.
Because of the dwindling number of New Orleans Police Officers, most Uptown parade routes were shortened this year to start at Prytania St. and Napoleon Ave. Mayor Cantrell has said if they can hire enough officers from agencies outside the NOPD to provide for adequate parade route coverage, then parades will be allowed to start at their traditional points of origin.
For many parades, this means adding more than a dozen blocks to start further Uptown at the intersection of Magazine St. and Jefferson Ave. Others could start at Tchoupitoulas St. and Napoleon, or S. Claiborne Ave. and Napoleon in the case of Rex. The Krewe of Thoth would start at Tchoupitoulas and State St.
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