BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge police aren't taking any chances when it comes to your safety during Mardi Gras this year.

"We're going to have all the Baton Rouge city police officers assigned to the entire parade route and we'll also have Fifth District bicycle division deployed downtown to assist in any calls," said Capt. Brian Blake. 

At the end of last year, the downtown division started doing around-the-clock patrols to accommodate tourism returning to pre-pandemic levels. 

"That'll factor in in the nighttime and the activities after the parade we'll have more officers on the streets," he said.

Violence, when it happens, usually comes during after-parties rather than downtown events themselves, he said.

In September, a gun battle broke out downtown following the LSU-Grambling game. No one was injured, but several businesses were damaged by bullets. It's one of at least four shootings in the downtown area in the last year.

Blake says the new schedule is helping.

"That's working out well. Now we've got three officers on A shift and B shift rotation patrolling the streets at night now," he said.

Parking is another important element to consider for parades downtown. If you plan to park downtown, arrive early because free space is limited.

"Parking meters aren't enforced on weekdays at 6 p.m., weekends and holidays, but now if you choose to park in a privately owned lot, be prepared to pay their fee," Blake said.

You can find a list of parades here: https://www.wbrz.com/news/baton-rouge-mardi-gras-schedule-released/