As NOPD Chief Anne Kirkpatrick continues to get acclimated in her new role, she is getting her first taste of Mardi Gras at the helm of the force. Does she feel they are up to the task?
For her, there is one simple answer to the question.
“I am here to tell you that the NOPD is prepared.”
She also says that policing throughout the city won't falter either.
“We will provide strong security coverage around all the parade routes, but we are also fully staffed in our districts for handling the normal 9-1-1 calls for service.”
At a press conference on public safety during Mardi Gras, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick warned of something she and her team will not tolerate.
“This is no place for a gun,” she said emphatically.
She went on to say that NOPD will have a zero-tolerance policy on guns on the route.
“If you bring a gun to our festivities, we will arrest you and you will go to jail.”
In that same press conference, Bill Salmeron- Chief of EMS, had a warning of his own.
“Pushing around floats has caused people to be forced into their path and even under them. So, be careful. No beads or trinkets are worth the fight or a life.”
The weather can also present a safety concern. The director of New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Colin Arnold, says they are watching the weather.
"We are working closely with the National Weather Service and all of our partners, most importantly the new Orleans Police Department, on contingency plans for Saturday," said Arnold.
Arnold said canceling parades is a last resort.
"We're not in the mood about canceling parades, we're in the mood of rescheduling them and we do have some limited ability to do that," he said. "We can move some times back and forth. We can thread the needle with these parades."
Mardi Gras continues this weekend with a scheduled twenty-four parades between Slidell, Chalmette, to Metairie, New Orleans and on the Northshore in Mandeville.
