NOPD

Today on Louisiana Considered, we get a preview of the annual Culture Collision. The event marks the beginning of the arts season in the Crescent City. Plus, a reporter tells us how his grandfather helped integrate the New Orleans Police Department in the 1950s.

The New Orleans City Council pushed back Thursday (Aug. 7) against a New Orleans Police Department regulation that would have raised costs for second-line clubs over their use of trolleys in parades.

The enforcement crackdown comes shortly before the upcoming 2025-2026 second-line season. A City Council hearing on the issue is set for Thursday (Aug. 7).

Following a first-of-its-kind confirmation process, New Orleans City Council voted Thursday to confirm Mayor LaToya Cantrell's pick to lead the city's police department.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s pick for police chief could be confirmed Thursday after a city council committee voted 4-1 to advance her nominee to a full vote.

The nomination is subject to the approval of the City Council. Anne Kirkpatrick would replace Shaun Ferguson, who retired from the job last year.

A 31-year veteran from the department will step in as the interim superintendent for the New Orleans Police Department, while the city conducts a search for its next police chief, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

NOPD Superintendent Shaun Ferguson will retire at the end of the month, according to a press release from the mayor’s office on Tuesday.

The city announced this week that it will begin enforcing an existing rule limiting the number of “elements”— like bands, floats and trolleys — in second lines.

As New Orleans heads into the busiest weekend of the Mardi Gras season, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city is “ready and prepared” — but is also stepping up safety and public health measures to deal with expected throngs of party-goers descending on the city during year three of the pandemic.