A report recommends that the majority of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street should be permanently closed to vehicular traffic, establishing a pedestrian-only plaza. This suggestion comes three months after a truck drove into a New Year’s Day crowd, resulting in the deaths of 14 people and injuries to at least 35 others.
The tragic incident occurred in the city’s vibrant French Quarter, an area that lacked robust barriers to protect it from speeding vehicles, such as the 6,000-pound truck involved, as previously reported by CNN.
The report issued by the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation (NOPJF) stated that an “elevated threat environment demands a new security approach for the French Quarter for everyday business operations.”
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The mass casualty event raised questions about the security measures in place on Bourbon Street and how a heavy-duty truck managed to access one of the most heavily foot-trafficked roads in the US.
The report was prepared by the global consulting firm Teneo, whose risk advisory division is headed by former New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton. The review was conducted by a risk assessment team comprising counterterrorism and police experts who carried out numerous interviews.
CNN has reached out to the city of New Orleans for comment.
The assessment concluded that Bourbon Street is “extremely vulnerable to a vehicle ramming attack any time of year” and that such attacks remain a significant security threat. The report noted that the city’s staffing shortages, inadequate vehicle barriers, and weak interagency coordination have hindered its ability to address “growing threats.”
The New Orleans Police Department should develop a plan outlining the locations of vehicle barriers throughout the city and covering key intersections. The report also recommends considering the deployment of “all available metal barriers” across the city.
Furthermore, it suggests that the police department “review its officer placement along the parade route and throughout the French Quarter to ensure that officers are regularly positioned throughout the routes rather than grouping together and leaving several blocks without police personnel.”
The report advises that additional officers should be stationed at “key locations” to create a “highly visible show of security and overall sense of safety.”
It also recommends the removal of trash bins from parade routes due to the risk of a “nefarious actor placing a weapon or IED” along the route.
In a statement, the NOPJF said: “The loss of innocent lives, the terror unleashed upon our beloved city, and the enduring pain felt by countless families demand nothing less than an honest evaluation of our security systems, our community’s trust, and our law enforcement practices.”
The statement acknowledged that “progress is needed” and indicated that some of Teneo’s proposed security measures “should only be implemented after careful consideration for the needs of the citizens of our unique city.”
The attack followed a 2019 report by a private security consulting firm that warned the risk of terrorism in the French Quarter – specifically mass shootings and vehicular attacks – remained “highly possible while moderately probable.”
That 2019 report strongly recommended that safety structures known as bollards – vertical posts that can be fixed or retractable – be immediately installed and improved.
In addition to the absence of sturdy bollards, which were under repair, CNN previously reported that the city’s portable steel barriers were in the lowered position during the New Year’s celebrations.
According to the FBI, the attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, had visited the city twice in the preceding months and used Meta smart glasses to film the street and plan the attack.
The FBI stated that Jabbar, a 42-year-old Army veteran who had pledged allegiance to ISIS, drove a pickup truck into the crowd just after 3 a.m. and then opened fire. The vehicle ultimately crashed into a cherry picker forklift, and Jabbar was killed in a shootout with police.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell held a news conference on Monday to announce public safety measures ahead of the city’s French Quarter Fest, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday and continue through Sunday.
Road closures will be implemented throughout the French Quarter, prohibiting vehicles on Bourbon Street and several other streets.
“We are built to host and ready to show the world that we are a welcoming, safe city and open for business,” Cantrell said in a statement.
