NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – New Orleans may still be months away from Carnival season, but the topic of Mardi Gras was very much on the mind after a comment by Mayor LaToya Cantrell that implied the 2023 festivities could be canceled if the police toll continues to fall
“If we don’t have adequate police, it could mean no Mardi Gras — and that’s a fact. If our officers can’t be safe, then there’s no way our city can be safe,” Cantrell said during a budget town hall meeting in Lakeview Thursday night.
On Friday, the Mayor’s Office contradicted her comment, releasing a statement titled “We are NOT canceling Mardi Gras” and citing a statewide shortage of public safety personnel that is causing concern among city staff. Read the mayor’s full statement below.
The mayor’s empty threat to cancel Mardi Gras worried tourism executives, despite the fact that it was six months before crowds would line up for parades, ready to grab beads and other throws.
“Mardi Gras isn’t just who we are, it’s what we do, and we do it better than anyone in the world,” explained Kelly Schulz with New Orleans & Company. “The New Orleans Police Department is the best in the world at managing large crowds and executing the complex logistics of something like Mardi Gras.”
But the fact of the matter is that the NOPD is strapped. According to the Metropolitan Crime Commission, there are currently 18 cadets in the NOPD Training Academy with 15 more starting next week. However, compared to this time last year, the Police Department has lost 124 officers.
However, residents argue that the lack of NOPD has been a problem for a while.
“This is crazy – we didn’t have a lot of police last year and we did fine,” said one resident.
“It’s important that we keep our visitors safe, but it’s not just the visitors — it’s all of us who live in New Orleans,” Shulz told WGNO’s Kenny Lopez. “We are convinced that there will be a solution.
In one I tweetCity Council President Helena Moreno says the best approach is to start planning now to bring in all the resources needed to have a safe Mardi Gras.”
Mardi Gras will fall on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
FULL STATEMENT – Mayor LaToya Cantrell
“We are NOT canceling Mardi Gras.
New Orleans, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing a shortage of public safety personnel that includes police, fire, EMS – across the board – you name it. The United States military even says that recruiting for our armed services has reached historic lows. I hear from my brother and sister mayors all the time how these global economic challenges—the big three: inflation, supply chain, and labor shortages—have created unforeseen difficulties that hinder our ability to attract candidates to these noble professions. New York, Chicago, and even our own Louisiana State Police are all facing unprecedented staffing shortages. However, we have taken aggressive steps to increase recruitment and retention initiatives, improve technology and build more efficient facilities as we have discussed in recent weeks.
We have invested nearly $1 million in promotional marketing and introduced improved equipment and facilities, including the $3.7 million range that my administration unveiled yesterday, which is the first of its kind in our city and signifies our commitment to policing the 21st century. In addition, beginning early next year, we will begin paying $5,000 in cash bonuses to police officers based on their years on the force. We understand the challenges are real, but the City of New Orleans remains committed to providing critical resources needed by our public safety agencies while also continuing to safely host large-scale events that allow us to celebrate culture our beloved.”
