Crime worries underpin celebration as Carnival season begins
![](https://ktvz.b-cdn.net/2019/11/KTVZ-USworld2.png)
By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans is kicking off its annual Carnival season. City officials marked the pre-Lenten season’s start Friday morning at an event with brass band music and costumed revelers. Masked riders planned a raucous journey on the city’s St. Charles Avenue streetcar route Friday night. And an annual march heralding Joan of Arc was set for the French Quarter. Underpinning the celebration are concerns over crime and a depleted police force. Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced a plan to bolster law enforcement by hiring officers from outside agencies. And she said the popular Endymion parade is being restored to its traditional route after being shortened last year.