Louisiana National Guard Ends Its Eight-Month New Orleans Deployment After 4,000 Patrols and 171 Arrests

The Louisiana National Guard is ending the deployment that has put troops on New Orleans streets since late December, with the last 120 troops finishing their final patrol on Aug. 24 and the mission concluding Aug. 31, spokesperson Lt. Col. Noel Collins said. The deployment began with 350 troops sent to the French Quarter for New Year's security a year after a Bourbon Street attack killed 14 people, was originally set to end after Mardi Gras in February, and was then extended through August. The Guard says troops conducted more than 4,000 patrols and assisted with 171 arrests.

The deployment was requested by Gov. Jeff Landry and authorized by Trump after the administration launched Guard missions in Washington and Memphis, and it ran roughly eight months for a city whose violent crime has been declining for several years alongside national trends.

Mayor Helena Moreno, who initially opposed the deployment, thanked the troops. Landry said the mission improved safety and gave soldiers readiness training "that they otherwise would not have experienced."