ST. LOUIS — Thousands of people will head to Soulard for Mardi Gras Saturday and police and firefighters are ready to keep them safe.
"We started planning on this last year already," St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department Major Renee Kriesmann tells 5 On Your Side.
Strategizing for one of St. Louis' largest events, means having most of their force on the clock Saturday. Kriesmann says, "We've maximized the number of officers that will be working throughout the day, so not only will we have a large contingent of officers down here, but officers that will be able to police all the other neighborhoods in the city."
Because Soulard will have no parking on Saturday, everyone driving into the party will be leaving their cars outside the increased security area. Police have a request for drivers, do not bring a weapon and do not leave weapons in your car.
Car thefts are a continuing issue in the St. Louis area.
If you drive a Kia or a Hyundai, then Major Kriesmann recommends, "Make sure you have a club on your car, make sure you are parked in well-lit areas, make sure you are doing the things that you can keep your car safe, but that club is very important for those cars right now."
Major Kriesmann also wants Mardi Gras goes to know that phone service is not reliable, "There are efforts that are always made to make sure that all mobile phones are working or will be able to work, but there are just sometimes when phones could potentially fail."
She also asks people to have a meeting spot for if they get separated because phones will not be reliable.
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