On the Mardi Gras parade beat
New Orleans's finest have to put up with a lot during
the festivities, including requests from parade-
goers for help with retrieving throws.
DEALING WITH THE POLICE
DURING THE NEW ORLEANS MARDI GRAS
There Ain't no party in Central Lock-Up
New Orleans cops pride themselves on knowing how to handle crowds at big at big events, and generally take a “live and let live” approach during Mardi Gras. But they work a lot of overtime and have put up with a lot: unruly crowds, people wanting their photo taken, medical emergencies, drunks, fights, accidents, traffic snarls, and helping little Jimmy who got lost during the parade.
Visitors may think it’s OK to act brazenly just because it’s New Orleans and, hey, “anything goes.” Wrong! If you act like a jerk, the threat of arrest is indeed quite real. Consider that in 2002, police made 1,189 arrests during Mardi Gras in the police district covering the French Quarter and the Central Business District. Of that total, 912 were made by plainclothes officers.
The vast majority of the infractions involved violations of the city's municipal code—non-violent "quality-of-life" offenses such as public drunkenness. In many such instances, the officer has the option of issuing a summons or making an arrest. Not surprisingly, public nusiance offenders who are obnoxious in dealing with the apprehending officer typically wind up in Central Lock-up. Hence Rule No. 1: If confronted by a police officer, don’t act belligerent or gripe — just do what you’re told. Rule No. 2: Try to pretend you’re less drunk than you probably are.
Especially during Mardi Gras, police have zero tolerance for fighting and indeed, even just trying to break up a fight is usually a bad idea. Also, if you see somebody else getting arrested, don’t interfere.
Just because New Orleans trades on its famously relaxed, laissez-faire reputation—sin city on the Bayou—doesn't mean the coast is all clear when sailing three sheets to the wind. Every year during the five-day party frenzy ending Fat Tuesday, a multitude of over-served imbibers end up in the pokey on charges of public drinkenness, often in combination with resisting arrest, disturbing the peace or lewd behavior (the typical charge for people caught urinating in public). Overcrowded and underfunded, the Orleans Parish Prision, housing an average of around 3,000 prisoners a day, is the Big Uneasy—a serious reality check for tourists who let the good times roll to far.
Also note that the local criminal justice system is chock full of cases involving minor narcotics violations, so think twice before indiscreetly indulging. In August 2009, Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizaro told members of the New Orleans City Council that of the approximately 2,100 open cases in Criminal District Court, about one-third involved posession of marijuana.
Arrested individuals get a free trip to the Intake Processing Center (IPC); operated by the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff (phone 504-822-8000), it’s located at 730 South Dupree Street. The phone number for the center’s automated inquiry system is 504-827-6777.
At the IPC, you can access up-to-the-minute information about arrested individuals moving through processing. The center also has kiosks for depositing funds into an inmate’s account by using cash or a credit card.
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