A total of five people – from among a crowd of “every bit of 80,000” – were arrested on Fat Tuesday, reports Police Chief John Miller.
“The low number of arrests for a crowd of that size is fantastic,” Miller said. “Over the years, the city has worked to promote our Mardi Gras parades as family-oriented. We have people from all over who come here for that reason, and this low number – and I mean, a very low number – shows that to be the case. We are a family-oriented parade.”
Miller said key factors in keeping the number low is public cooperation and police officers being pro-active in spotting trouble before it happens.
“We try to diffuse situations,” Miller said. “If we see a trouble spot on the parade, we take action before it becomes a problem. We want people to have a great time when they come to parades or events in Biloxi. We make arrests when we have to, but it’s great that we have such cooperation from the public in being patient, not over indulging and being respectful to each other.”
The five arrests included charges of driving under the influence, public drunk and disorderly conduct.
Miller also noted that only nine arrests were made on the Saturday before Mardi Gras, when the Krewe of Neptune and Second Liners paraded. Police said between 25,000 and 35,000 people attended Neptune’s night parade and almost 5,000 were at the Second Liners parade that afternoon.
“The word is getting out, I think,” Miller said. “People know that we do everything we can to operate a safe and friendly Mardi Gras, and that we don’t tolerate foolishness.”
All Biloxi police officers – about 130 officers – worked on Mardi Gras Day, supported by from 20 to 40 officers from neighboring jurisdictions.
The parade of photos and video clips
Video: Neptune 2020 rockin’ and rollin’
Gallery: Neptune 2020
Gallery: Second Liners
Video: The jukin’ mayor
Video: Ole Biloxi Marching Club
Video: The GCCA royal toast
Gallery: Gulf Coast Carnival 2020
Gallery: The clean-up crew
News & notes: Ward 5 meeting, house fires, book club
Ward 5 meeting: West Biloxi Councilman Paul Tisdale will conduct a ward meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Donal M. Snyder Sr. Community Center, 2520 Pass Road. The meeting is open to the public and will include a panel of speakers. To see the agenda for the meeting, click here.
House fires: Hours after the parade on Tuesday, the Biloxi Fire Department battled fires at adjoining homes on Dacey Street on Back Bay. No injuries were reported. To see video clips from fire department Facebook page, click here.
Main Street book club: Biloxi Main Street will hold its monthly book club meeting on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Jacked Up Coffee Bar off Howard Avenue. The meeting is free, open to the public and will include a discussion on the book “Thirteen Moons.” Details: 228-435-6339.