Behind the scenes in Orleans Parish: Same great tours, two time slots

Key Takeaways

The 2026 NACo Annual Conference officially gets underway Friday, July 17, and if you’re arriving a day early, you can go behind the scenes of Orleans Parish on a set of mobile tours Thursday, July 16. The tours show how the parish and city deliver critical services to its residents. From flood protection and public safety to pest control and water infrastructure, the tours offer a firsthand look at local government in action — and plenty of inspiration to bring back home to your county.

All five tours run from 2:30 to 5 p.m., and each is also offered on the afternoon of Monday, July 20 (which take place at the same time as educational workshops at the conference). Space is limited and varies by tour, so sign up early.

The Real Time Crime Center

As technology evolves, so does law enforcement’s toolkit. New Orleans’ 24/7 Real Time Crime Center helps the city respond faster to 911 calls, triage threats and share data and video seamlessly across agencies. It was created in 2017 as part of a citywide public safety improvement plan and, unusually, sits outside the police department — it’s run by the city’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, which lets it support fire, EMS and emergency management alongside police, according to Security Magazine. From a single hub, staff monitor a sprawling network of cameras, sensors and license plate readers, and the center has built some of the most restrictive video-access policies in the country, according to Security Info Watch. Step inside and discover the capabilities behind the operation. Limited to 25 attendees.

The 911 and Emergency Response Centralized Call Center

For years, New Orleans’ emergency response operated in silos. Now the city’s call centers are unified under one roof, improving response times, boosting resilience and opening the door to innovation, including through AI. The consolidation also feeds the Real Time Crime Center, which bridges the 911 computer-aided dispatch system with the city’s video network so responders can get eyes on a scene as a call comes in, according to Security Magazine. Join this tour to see the centralized operation in action and learn where it’s headed next. Limited to 50 attendees.

The West Closure Complex 

The West Closure Complex, in Belle Chasse just south of the city, is a key component of the region’s hurricane protection system, designed and built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers with local and state partners. It anchors the West Bank’s defenses with levees, floodwalls, a navigable gate and one of the largest drainage pump stations on earth. 

The complex is one of the crown jewels of the roughly $14.5 billion risk-reduction system built around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and its 11 pumps can move close to 20,000 cubic feet of water per second — enough to fill an Olympic-size pool in about four seconds, according to NOLA.com.

 Its sector gate is the largest of its kind in the world at 225 feet wide. 

The system proved itself during Hurricane Ida in 2021, when crews ran all 11 pumps for 18 straight hours to hold back roughly nine feet of surge. During the tour, attendees will learn how the complex fits into broader post-Katrina resilience efforts and will witness a live test of the pumping system in operation. Limited to 55 attendees.

The Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board

New Orleans’ rich flora and fauna are central to the city’s ecosystem — and to its public health challenges. 

The New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board protects residents and visitors with fogging trucks, a helicopter and a working laboratory that conducts pathogen testing on the insects it traps, racing each summer to stay ahead of West Nile virus carried by the Southern House Mosquito, according to NOLA.com. 

This tour takes attendees through the board’s headquarters via a series of hands-on “stations,” showing how local government manages mosquitoes, insects and rodents across the city. Limited to 55 attendees.

Sewerage and Water Board Pump Station No. 6

New Orleans sits below sea level, and its survival depends on an extraordinary network of canals, pumps and outfall channels. Pump Station No. 6 is the heart of that system — the largest pumping station in the city and, for decades, the largest in the world, capable of filling the Superdome in about two-and-a-half hours as it pushes stormwater along the Metairie Relief Outfall Canal toward Lake Pontchartrain, according to Invention & Technology. The station still runs on the famous screw pumps designed by New Orleans engineer A. Baldwin Wood beginning in 1913 — a design so durable that the originals kept working through Hurricane Katrina, according to NOLA.com. Operated by the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, it is historic and still very much in service. Join this tour to see that system up close. Limited to 45 attendees.