Iberia law enforcement begins preparations for the New Iberia Sugarcane Festival
NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) -As many residents prepare for the 79th annual New Iberia Sugarcane Festival, so is local law enforcement.
The New Iberia Police Department is beginning their preparations for the upcoming Sugarcane Festival with certain strategies and protocol to ensure everyone who shows up has a great and safe experience.
Captain Ryan Boutte of the New Iberia Police Department said festivals like this causes major planning. He said, "You are talking about a lot of people coming to our town. Public safety is our number one concern. That is what we are going to focus on. Everybody to have a good and safe time."
When asked how the approach will be this year as compared to past years Captain Boutte said the department plans on approaching the weekend the same as always by maintaining safety.
"From a law enforcement standpoint, that is our number one goal. We want to let everyone get together and come to our city and enjoy yourself," he said.
The department wanted to remind everyone about an implementation on no glass bottles at the festival.
"It is just for public safety," Boutte says. "Hopefully we have children having a good time and enjoying themselves the last thing we want is for someone to get cut or hurt," said Bputte.
If an incident does happen, Boutte emphasized how his officers are trained to maintain the peace as much as possible.
He said, "We try to resolve any incident as peacefully as possible. We stress to them to treat everyone equal. Treat everyone fair. That is the New Iberia Police Department. That is what we do."