New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell confirmed on Sunday that she is seeking support from the White House to improve the city’s security ahead of the Super Bowl in February, and its famous Mardi Gras celebrations in March.
In a Sunday press conference, Cantrell said the city will seek federal help to draft new security policies after the New Year’s Day attack by Shasmud Din Jabbar claimed the lives of 14, stating, “I have specifically requested through the White House that the City of New Orleans be assisted with getting a tactical expert in our city this week to map our city for target hardening measures.”
The mayor confirmed she made the requests in conjunction with New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Chief Anne Kirkpatrick.
“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 the Super Bowl, but for Mardi Gras,” said the mayor.
Cantrell later commented on claims the new bollards being installed around the area of the attack are not strong enough to block a vehicle, according to The New Orleans Advocate, which reported the mayor told the press, “I can’t say with surety that’s the case, but an expert will be able to do so and we’ll respond accordingly.”
Retractable bollards were previously installed as part of a 2017 public safety plan, but in November the city published a press release explaining they would be replaced with new devices installed in a months-long process to be concluded in February.
Kirkpatrick, who teaches a course related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the FBI, recently admitted that NOPD had access to barriers capable of preventing vehicles from driving on sidewalks, as video captured Jabbar doing before his attack, but that she did not know of their existence until after the attack.
Asked by a reporter whether she was upset about the lack of knowledge, Kirkpatrick replied, “A terrorist is hellbent on destruction. This man was going to do his best, and if it hadn’t been on Bourbon, he was going to go somewhere else. So we have this, we’re going to implement it, and end of story.”
The mayor’s request for federal help preparing for large events comes after a New Orleans law firm announced on Sunday that it intends to file a lawsuit against the city and its police department on Wednesday, alleging the attack was “both foreseeable and preventable,” and only allowed to happen due to the police department’s “gross negligence.”
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Background Photo “Super Dome” by Infrogmation of New Orleans. CC BY-SA 4.0.
