Tulane University Police Department handled more than 180 calls for service on and around the Uptown campus, from Thursday, Feb. 12, through Fat Tuesday, according to daily activity reports from TUPD.
Incidents included the seizure of whippets from a U-Haul and dozens of noise complaints and medical emergencies over the holiday weekend.
Across the city, the New Orleans Police Department responded to over 6,000 calls from Thursday through Tuesday, marking a 242% increase on the same time period a week prior.
TUPD also received 59 noise complaints during the holiday weekend, comprising 32% of all of the calls they received. Officers issued 24 summonses in response to violations of the New Orleans Noise Ordinance.
Call volume was the highest at the start of the weekend. Saturday was the busiest day for TUPD with 43 calls, followed closely by Friday, which had 42. calls..
Medical-related incidents also made up a significant portion of calls. TUPD logged 44 medical calls, 23 of which were related to alcohol and five of which were related to drug use. Tulane Emergency Medical Services responded to 40 of those calls, while Acadian and New Orleans Emergency Medical Services each responded to one.
Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker described the Mardi Gras weekend as an “all hands on deck” period for TUPD.
“Officers of all ranks work long hours around-the-clock to keep the Tulane community safe and respond to calls for assistance throughout our campuses and perimeter patrol areas,” Strecker said.
Tulane Police made one arrest, booking an individual for misdemeanor sexual battery around 3 a.m. on Feb. 16. Police are looking for another individual who fondled an individual outside the Boot Bar and Grill in a separate incident that same day.
On Monday, TUPD responded to multiple physical altercations. Early in the morning, police broke up a fight between a student and their on-campus guest. Neither party pressed charges but the guest was barred from campus. Later in the day, TUPD was dispatched to a physical altercation inside a residence, which officers ended with force.
Feb. 13 also saw a physical altercation in which an individual reported being battered after a group pushed past him to form a second line.
On the same day, police confiscated “whippets,” nitrous oxide canisters that can be used as a recreational drug, from the back of a U-Haul truck. Both of the occupants of the vehicle denied ownership of the canisters. It is illegal to possess nitrous oxide for recreational use in Louisiana.
NOPD made one high-profile arrest during Mardi Gras, detaining movie star Shia Labeouf after he assaulted several people outside a Royal Street business before being pinned down by bystanders.