NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today announced the success of Mardi Gras 2023, largely due to the work of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) and the entire unified command team of local, state and federal public safety partners.
The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) worked closely with all our partners to coordinate public safety support during the 2023 Mardi Gras season. This year’s Mardi Gras was designated a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 2 event, a rating that determines the risk level for events that may be considered as potential threat targets and helps determine the security resources needed. This SEAR 2 rating allowed the City to receive additional federal support and public safety resources such as intelligence sharing, law enforcement assets, emergency medical assets and physical security equipment. This additional support led to enhanced patrols, information sharing and intelligence assets assisting NOHSEP in the Emergency Operations Center and the Real Time Crime Center, including members from:
- Department of Homeland Security
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- United States Coast Guard
- State Fusion Center
- State Fire Marshall
- Louisiana State Police
Mardi Gras by the numbers from Feb. 10 – Feb. 21
NOPD, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office (OPSO) and law enforcement partners from around the state reported 352 arrests and the removal of 244 guns on or near parade routes, in the French Quarter and in the Downtown Development District, during the two major weekends of the season.
The Orleans Parish Communication District (OPCD), which is responsible for 9-1-1 and 3-1-1 services in Orleans Parish, reported receiving 31,230 calls, with 96.5 percent of emergency calls answered in less than 15 seconds, exceeding the national standard of 90 percent. OPCD also managed 18,506 public safety incidents during this period.
The New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) distributed approximately 4,800 COVID-19 test kits. NOHD also activated first aid stations along the parade routes staffed by 141 volunteers, who worked a combined 2,585 hours and had 1,974 assists, 90 patient care visits and 25 transferred care to NOEMS.
The New Orleans Emergency Medical Services (NOEMS) reported receiving 2,236 calls for service from Feb. 10 through Feb. 20; 466 were parade related. On Feb. 21, EMS received 440 calls for service; 156 were parade related.
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