Notes On Mardi Gras 2003

By B.B. St. Roman

Last summer Councilmember Jackie Clarkson, Captain Louis Dabdoub and Sanitation Department head Lynn Wiltz got together and promised a cleaner, safer French Quarter --- and this year's Mardi Gras was a promise delivered.

Captain Dabdoub reported that a marked increase in arrests for minor offenses contributed to a sharp decrease in more serious crimes. Getting so many people off the streets primarily for offenses such as indecent exposure, lewd conduct, intoxication, drug possession and public urination resulted in getting the many of the potential real criminals out of the way in the sweep. Last year in the 8th District there was a total of some 1100 arrests, while this year officers made more than 1600 arrests. The result was a 42% reduction in crimes against persons or property, such as theft, pickpocketing, assault and robbery, for a total of 120 crimes compared with 207 last year.

A major factor behind this clear shift in statistics was the smooth teamwork among several different law enforcement agencies, including the NOPD, the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office, the Levee Board Police, the State Police, officers from several neighboring parishes and even help from Angola and the Hunt Correctional Facility. While uniformed officers made a strong presence at strategic locations, there were over 50 plainclothes officers mingling easily in the crowds dressed in their beads and tourist-looking outfits. They popped offenders one after the other and handed them over to the paddy wagons. During the five days of Mardi Gras, from Friday through Tuesday night, in the 8th District there was only ONE armed robbery, the most serious crime reported, and that was a guy using a hammer in a fight over beads near Gallier Hall! This year's Mardi Gras in the French Quarter was the safest in years.

Lynn Wiltz, the lively head of the Sanitation Department, also credits great teamwork for the drastic improvement in sanitation during Mardi Gras. This year she said she got excellent response from the NOPD, and the OPCSO provided plenty of trustees to help clean up after the parades as well as perform new initiatives such as sweeping out catch basins and fixing potholes. Sanitation trucks disinfected the streets EVERY morning during Mardi Gras.

A new addition to making Mardi Gras safe this year was the massive team of fire inspectors, over 800 throughout the city, checking for fire violations in bars and restaurants. Fire officer training now includes education in performing inspections.

Jackie Clarkson pointed out that the spirit of teamwork is coming straight from Mayor Nagin and is filtering on down, as evidenced in the new Homeland Security office here, which has brought together police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency preparedness into one big team.