New Orleans Increases Security for Mardi Gras Following Deadly Vehicle Attack

Parade-goers try to catch beads thrown from floats during the Krewe of Bacchus Mardi Gras parade on Napoleon Avenue in New Orleans on March 2, 2014. Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

With New Orleans expecting more than a million visitors for its annual Mardi Gras festival this week, the city is asking for federal help to ensure there is not a repeat of the deadly attack that left at least 14 pedestrians dead and more than 30 injured when a man plowed a vehicle into a crowd on Bourbon Street on New Year’s Day.

After the attack was originally investigated as a potential terrorist attack, the FBI said the suspect appeared to have acted alone, despite his ties to ISIS.

When President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden travel to New Orleans on Jan. 6 to mourn with families and community leaders, they will listen to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and other city officials about what the federal government can do to potentially increase security levels for the world-famous event.

The city was already experiencing a busy holiday season when the attack occurred.

Bourbon Street was full of revelers celebrating New Year’s, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl was scheduled for later the same day. It was immediately postponed following the attack.

New Orleans was also preparing for Mardi Gras, with festivities starting on Jan. 6 and continuing until March 4.

Next month, the city is hosting the most popular sporting event in the country: the Super Bowl.

These events will likely draw massive numbers of visitors—both domestically and from abroad—with local businesses already preparing for the stream of tourists.

The foot traffic highlights the crucial security issue New Orleans faces following the truck attack and fears of a repeat incident.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency soon after the attack.

In the decree, Landry said it would allow the city to deploy more resources ahead of the “hundreds of thousands of visitors in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras.”

“Extensive coordination and security measures are necessary to secure areas around the events and ensure public safety from the threats associated with these events,” the declaration reads.

Cantrell said during a Jan. 5 press conference at the FBI New Orleans field office that the city had requested federal assistance including use of a tactical expert to determine weak spots that would need increased security.

Since the attacker bypassed a police barrier and drove a pickup truck directly into pedestrians, authorities will ask the expert to determine whether the city’s existing security measures, including its road barricades, are adequate.

Heightening Local Security

“So, what we’re wanting to do is to ... determine whether or not these bollards are sufficient,” Cantrell said.

“How and what and where do they need to be placed?”

She added: “This is a work in progress, and we’re committed to doing everything necessary to ensure public safety measures ... hardening target areas in preparation not only for Super Bowl but for Mardi Gras as well.”

The mayor said she submitted a federal request for Mardi Gras to receive an upgraded federal security tier from SEAR 2 to SEAR 1.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) designation has a five-tiered ranking system to assess whether public events need federal security assistance, which could include air support, field intelligence, and bomb detection canines.

Level 5 SEAR events “may be nationally recognized but generally have local or state importance,” whereas level 1 SEAR events, such as the Super Bowl, have “national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support.”

The mayor plans to discuss the security request with the Bidens when they visit the site of the attack.

The New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) is also ramping up security ahead of the city’s major events.

“In light of the tragic events on New Year’s Day, we are increasing our security presence in partnership with other law enforcement agencies. This enhanced safety effort will continue daily, not just during large events,” the department wrote in a statement posted to social media platform X.

“As major events like the Superbowl and Mardi Gras approach, we’ll provide timely updates about traffic, street closures, and security measures.”

Road Barrier Security

A sticking point in the city’s safety procedures amid local and federal investigations into the New Year’s Day attack is why no large barriers were erected to protect street revelers that day.

In 2019, Interfor International, a private security consulting firm, warned about the risks of terrorist attacks in the French Quarter.

“The risk of terrorism—specifically mass shootings and vehicular attacks—remains highly possible while moderately probable,” the firm wrote in its report.

“Interfor strongly recommends bollard mobilization to be fixed/improved immediately. The NOPD is in the best position to oversee this measure.”

Bollards are vertical posts that can protect pedestrians on city streets, especially when a road is closed for special events.

In 2016, after an ISIS sympathizer drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice and massacred 86 people, civic leaders moved quickly to install steel bollards to limit vehicle access on Bourbon Street during major events.

While the bollards could be retracted for street deliveries to bars and restaurants, the tracks stopped working reliably after collecting years of debris, including Mardi Gras beads and beer.

The city is currently working on fixing the bollards on Bourbon Street.

If weather permits, the work is expected to be completed in February.

Because the city was still in the process of repairing its bollards, they were not in use to protect pedestrians on New Year’s Eve.

A single police cruiser was used to block off Bourbon Street, but the attacker just drove around that vehicle before killing pedestrians last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.