Mardi Gras is a Machine. A very, VERY fine tuned machine. Krewes and parade goers work together like gears and cogs to produce fun and merriment. Carnival, just like any fine tuned machine, requires a lubricant to run for more than few minutes without locking up or melting down; that lubricant is the New Orleans Police Department.

Most people, when thinking of NOPD at Carnival time, develop a bitter taste in their mouth. A person may recall that time when they locked up his fraternity brother visiting from out of town. They may think of the coldness and lack of response when asking a Police officer for direction or an update on when the parade would arrive. That bitter taste may (and probably does) even come from that time that the person crossed Canal St. where there are balconies, and 30 steps after making it across, and officer grabbed her by the arm and sent her all the way back across; even though Aunt Linda was moved to the neutral ground side of her float at the last minute.

The thing to remember though is that without this wonderful and sometimes (but only occasionally) party pooping police force we wouldn’t have the wonderful Shrovetide celebration that everyone loves. Actually, things run so smoothly because they can tend to be lenient on certain matters. Also, you out-of-towners, don’t forget that these guys were sleep-deprived, over-worked, and pissed-off a week or two before you even got into town.

These gentlemen (and ladies) are the most renowned authorities on large crowd control. A few points to realize about why they are so good at what they do:

• The mounted patrols have horses that are trained to remain calm under the most strenuous of circumstances. (We’ve all heard the stories of the horses being lined up in City Park with the McDonough 35 band marching back and forth in front of them while officers thrown black cats at the ground and blow air horns). These horses are big and they don’t scare easily. The Mounted officers know how to use them for crowd control very effectively.
• They don’t sweat the small stuff. In any other city, if a teenager were standing on a street corner drinking a High Life long neck in front of a police officer, the officer would flip out. Here the Officer would merely hand the kid a plastic cup and inform him that glass is not allowed on the street; it poses a safety hazard.
• If you’ve ever seen someone do something illegal at Carnival time, and then get caught by a NOPD officer, you may realize that that officer may not simply arrest him. The officer may embarrass him. The officer may tackle him. The officer may even publicly scold him and be very derogatory. You may wonder why the cop would do something like that in front of such a large crowd of “witnesses”. The thing he realizes though is that, once the crowd has seen the punishment, no one else in that crowd will commit the same infraction.
• They keep the Family Mardi Gras where it belongs, and the Frat Boy Mardi Gras where it belongs.

Support the NOPD, because they can be true professionals while doing a tough job.