NEW ORLEANS – Partygoers looking forward to this upcoming Mardi Gras season could be in for a massive disappointment due to the critical absence of important city employees.
“If we don’t have adequate police, it could mean no Mardi Gras — and that’s a fact,” New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said at a town hall meeting Thursday night, according to WGNO. “If our officers can’t be safe, then there’s no way our city can be safe.”
Staffing issues don’t stop at the police department: according to New Orleans EMS Director Dr. Meg Marino, EMS “is currently operating at 60% of our current staffing. I want you to think about that for a minute, 60 percent of the number of EMS providers to make the city safe and healthy.”
Cantrell said the NOPD is focusing on recruitment and retention, and she continued to encourage any city residents interested in protecting and serving to join the force.
