From years of experience, I have also gleaned plenty of ways to avoid this unhappy fate, and instead to enjoy yourself over these next number of festive days and nights ? trouble?free. So, here goes ? my ?un?official, top-secret, insider?s guide: the top 7 ways to avoid getting arrested while you party and enjoy the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in New Orleans:
- Tip No. 1 -?Drink responsibly. Sure, you will undoubtedly drink?less?responsibly than normal, but drinking even?somewhat?responsibly is probably still good enough to keep you out of trouble. In my experience, over 90% of the trouble people find themselves in during party time could be avoided if they were not so intoxicated. The urge to make bad decisions (or perhaps more the inability to?avoid?making bad decisions) is fueled by alcohol. Keep it somewhere above buzzed but under bombed, and you odds of avoiding trouble are greatly increased.
- Tip No. 2 - Be a lover, not a fighter.?The quickest way for someone to get in trouble in party-related situations is to start a fight ? and I?m not just talking about throwing punches. Noticeably loud and aggressive behavior between individuals leads to problems with law enforcement quickly, even if it doesn?t become physical. Disturbing the Peace by Tumultuous behavior is a common charge in situations where two people create an obnoxious disturbance, whether at a sporting event or a parade. Stay cool, and try to de-escalate any potentially volatile situations, and remember that it is likely that both parties involved in a fracas will be cited, so don?t rely on the defense that you were being wronged or that the other guy started it. Just walk away? tough guy.??
- Tip No. 3 -?Don?t argue with police officers.?I spend a lot of my time dealing with New Orleans Police Officers, and I can tell you from my experience that the vast majority are pleasant and helpful. There are hundreds of police officers posted throughout the city right now, and they have a tough job to do over the next week and a half. ?I can almost promise you that at some point, if you spend any amount of partying around the French Quarter or Downtown New Orleans, you will be confronted in some minor way by a New Orleans Police Officer. Maybe you innocently crossed the street in front of a float and got chastised you for it. Maybe you were acting a little crazy and a cop asked you to take it down a notch. Maybe you have been accused (even erroneously) of some other minor transgression, and warned about it. Your righteous conscience might tempt you to?say or do something to?(a) plead your case and proclaim your innocence, or (b) remind the officer that what you did was minor and that he or she should ?worry about hassling real criminals?. Don?t do either (a) or (b). Your perceived innocent attempt to clarify the situation will likely be sen as you ?talking back? or ?arguing?, and for an officer doing a 16 hour crowd control shift, that?s not good. Better to just courteously acknowledge the officer, apologize, and walk away. Live to fight another day.
- Tip No. 4 -?Keep your clothes on.?As much as this applies legally?to everyone, it is intended in practice mostly for my male readers. You will see many things in the city over the next 10 days. Some of those things will be women?s breasts. You?ll hear the crowds chanting: ?Show your ***s? ? and some women will. But, gentlemen, no matter how much you have had to drink, and no matter how proud you are of what you?ve got, no one is chanting for you to pull down your pants ? so don?t. ?The crime of lewd conduct encompasses public nudity, and you will get arrested for this. This law is written to be gender neutral, which means women can be (and have been) cited for it too ? so be advised. But, for you ladies who insist on doing it, it seems that most of the time?the city?s prurient interest in seeing you naked negates it?s desire to enforce the law, so you are likely safe to do as you will.
- Tip No. 5 -?Don?t jump on a float.?They are pretty. They are fun. You might see one and think ?I want to be on that float?. It happens every year to numerous people, with the same result ? somebody goes to jail. Even in a Beastie Boys song you get ?arrested at the Mardi Gras for jumping on ?float?. Your life is no cooler than a Beastie Boys song, so I promise the result will be no different for you. Not much more to say about that.
- Tip No. 6 -?Find a bathroom if you need to go. Lewd conduct (see Tip No. 4, above) also encompasses public urination. Everybody has done it at some point or another in their lives ? probably more than a few times. And you will probably do it again. But, during the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras in the more crowded areas of the city is not the appropriate place or time for your next public nature break. This is truly one of the most common offenses I see during big events. If you need to go, find a bathroom. If you don?t take this advice, and you do go on the side of a building or down a blind alley, know that you might be taking the most expensive pee you?ve ever taken.
- Tip No. 7 -?Don?t drink and drive. This one goes without saying on a regular day. It is even more applicable when there are twice as many law enforcement officers out doing enforcement. I?m sure that there will be DWI officers on patrol, and DWI checkpoints throughout the city all through Super Bowl weekend and Mardi Gras week. Everything you need is within walking distance so leave the car alone if you?ve had any cocktails. If you need to get somewhere you can?t walk to, take a streetcar or a cab.
In general you should be familiar with what to do if you do get arrested, and if you are from out of town you should understand some of the challenges you might face with the legal system here.
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Source: http://nolacriminallaw.com/inside-tips-to-avoid-arrest-at-the-super-bowl-and-mardi-gras/
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