Visitor Safety Statement

Overview

Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our visitors, residents, and those who work in the hospitality industry. As one of the world’s most celebrated and iconic destinations for global meetings and conventions, leisure visitors, major cultural festivals, and national sporting championships, New Orleans welcomes millions of travelers and countless corporations and organizations each year. Our cultural authenticity and the fact that we are organically Built to Host result in an exceptional, remarkable, and unique travel experience in New Orleans like nowhere else, with every trip and gathering producing world-class memories.

New Orleans & Company and its hospitality partners enjoy great relationships with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD), which we believe is the best police force in the world at managing citywide, logistically complex events such as Super Bowls, Final Fours, Major Festivals, and Mardi Gras. Together with NOPD, we ask visitors to use the same personal safety precautions and to stay vigilant as they would at home or in any metropolitan destination.

Crime Fighting

Violent Crime continues its downward trend in New Orleans and the NOPD is pleased to report that non-violent crime is also seeing significant decreases.

So far in 2024, NOPD numbers show that homicides in the city are down 35 percent, overall violent crimes are down 29 percent and property crimes are down 27 percent over the same period from last year. 

This crime reduction is due in part to the use of analytics in deployment strategies, technology, and collaboration with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.

New Orleans & Company partners with and engages the top leadership of the NOPD on all elements, locations, and activities of every gathering and convention so they may be available not only to meet and discuss all group priorities and requirements but to ensure coverage around convention venues and all areas where specific events are occurring. NOPD creates a deployment plan designed specifically for the needs of that group.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has also committed to having Louisiana State Troopers permanently assigned to the city of New Orleans. The establishment of “Troop NOLA” will add more police to the streets of New Orleans.

New Technology

New Orleans Police will soon have new drone technology to assist as both a force multiplier and a crime-fighting tool. The drone program will help the NOPD gather crucial information as situations unfold without putting officers at risk and lessening harm and danger to civilian bystanders and other involved parties. Small Unmanned Aircraft System technology (sUAS) technology will be a tool that the NOPD can deploy in select circumstances to help keep those who live, work, and visit New Orleans safe, and enhance officer safety.

Other NOPD Notes

• The NOPD continues its progress in complying with the Federal Consent Decree. At a March public hearing, NOPD presented updates on Stops, Searches, and Arrests (SSA) and showed a dramatic decrease in misconduct investigations regarding SSA violations.  NOPD is on track for substantial compliance and sustainment through a holistic approach that includes increased training and multiple layers of review.
• NOPD Recruit Class #199 graduated on March 1, 2024, with 19 officers hitting the streets for Field Training.
• Recruit Class #201 launched on March 18. The NOPD is also in the midst of an aggressive, regional and national recruitment campaign to help boost its ranks by as many as 200 officers.
• The NOPD has instituted a Police Cadet Trainee Program to provide a potential pipeline for future NOPD recruits.  13 NOPD Cadet Trainees completed Training Session #1 on March 23, 2024! The Cadet Trainee Program is an apprenticeship opportunity for young adults in high school interested in pursuing a public safety career to gain valuable paid work experience in a law enforcement environment.

More Patrol Cars

Since 2021, New Orleans & Company has funded eight security patrol vehicles to supplement NOPD patrols in the French Quarter.

The NOLA Coalition 

Formed in 2022, the NOLA Coalition is a diverse collection of over 570 local nonprofits, civic organizations, and businesses with an acute interest in helping to address public safety.  The mission of the NOLA Coalition is to harness their collective resources to create a safer and more prosperous New Orleans for all residents.  The NOLA Coalition supports near-term actions to reduce violence, paired with investment in youth services to drive generational change.  We stand ready to invest – our time, our people, our expertise, and our money – to help make a difference for New Orleans.  Plans underway for 2024 include building an NOPD recruiting App to help streamline and modernize the NOPD applicant process.

Additional Security Protocols Underway:

• Police patrol on foot as well as motorcycles and Smart Cars throughout the French Quarter, with special attention to Bourbon Street, Royal Street, Chartres Street, Jackson Square, and parks
• Police patrol Convention Center Boulevard via patrol cars and Polaris carts
• NOPD officers dressed in fluorescent vests when directing traffic
• Mounted officers on horseback, when needed
• Additional portable light boxes on major cross streets
• Sky Watch towers to increase visibility, observation, and police presence during special events
• Enhanced Blue Light Patrol – proactive patrols with off-duty NOPD officers to increase police presence
• All eight (8) districts are on 12-hour shifts

Downtown Public Safety Rangers

The Downtown Development District (DDD) created the Public Safety Ranger program as an integral element of Downtown’s public safety network. The Public Safety Rangers are a non-commissioned force of safety professionals who patrol Downtown on foot and on bicycle. They act as extra eyes and ears for the police and the DDD. Rangers are customer-friendly and provide visible coverage throughout Downtown.

Visitors Downtown also can utilize the DDD Public Safety Rangers, who are on duty seven days a week from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Downtown SafeWalk escorts are offered free of charge within the Downtown DDD boundaries. Call or text 504-415-1730 to check availability.

As part of its continued effort to provide enhanced public safety services in keeping Downtown safe, the DDD, along with Downtown property owners and managers, has partnered with the New Orleans Police & Justice Foundation in the SafeCam Platinum program, providing 36 security cameras at key locations in Downtown New Orleans, which are linked to the City of New Orleans Real-Time Crime Center. The Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) is a City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness 24/7 facility that leverages technology to enhance public safety coordination, provide critical information to first responders in the field, and assist with investigations of criminal activity or other quality of life concerns.

Common Sense Tips for Visitors to Any Major City

• Travel in groups and avoid walking alone on unlit streets at night.                                   
• Pay attention when walking and using your smartphone as these devices have been the target of thieves nationwide.
• Do not leave your purse, backpack, or briefcase unattended, especially not on the back of your chair.
• Be on the lookout for pickpockets. Consolidate your wallet. Don't bring every credit card and move it to your front pocket or/and wear a cross-body bag rather than a shoulder strap to keep your purse in front of you. Do not display large amounts of cash in public places.
• Consider removing your convention badge when leaving your hotel or meeting venue.
• When hailing a ride via a mobile app, confirm the identity of your driver before getting into the car.
• If you are intoxicated, please take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft instead of walking or driving.
• Trust your gut instincts. If someone or something seems suspicious, leave the area, and alert a police officer or Safety Ranger.
• If approached by strangers for con games, such as, “I bet I can tell you where you got your shoes,” do not participate. Simply smile and walk past them.
• Lock car doors. Stow valuables out of sight in your vehicle.
• Ensure that your hotel room door is fully closed and locked at all times.
• Do not leave your drink unattended or accept drinks from strangers.
• Remember that most laws enforced in your city are enforced here as well.