Most of Bourbon Street should be closed to cars following New Orleans truck attack, report recommends
Most of New Orleans' Bourbon Street should be closed off to vehicles, creating a permanent pedestrian plaza, a report recommends, three months after a truck plowed into a New Year's Day crowd, killing 14 people and injuring at least 35.
The tragedy took place in the city's bustling French Quarter, which had no strong barriers to protect the area from speeding vehicles like that 6,000-pound truck, CNN previously reported.
The report released by the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation (NOPJF) said an 'elevated threat environment demands a new security approach for the French Quarter for everyday business operations.'
The mass killing raised questions about how the city secured Bourbon Street and how a heavy-duty truck was able to drive onto one of the most pedestrian-heavy roads in the US.
The report was prepared by global consulting firm Teneo, whose risk advisory arm is led by former New York Police Department Commissioner Bill Bratton, and the review was carried out by a risk assessment team composed of a group of counterterrorism and police experts who conducted dozens of interviews.
CNN has reached out to the city of New Orleans for comment.
The assessment found Bourbon Street is 'extremely vulnerable to a vehicle ramming attack any time of year' and that such attacks remain a persistent security threat. The city's staffing shortages, inadequate vehicle barriers, along with weak interagency coordination and collaboration have challenged its ability to address 'growing threats,' said the report.
The New Orleans Police Department should establish a plan marking the locations of vehicle barriers throughout the city and covering key intersections, while also considering placing 'all available metal barriers' throughout the city, the report says.
It also recommends 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.'
Additional officers should be placed at 'key locations,' it says, to create a 'highly visible show of security and overall sense of safety.'
Trash bins should be removed from parade routes, it continues, 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 acknowledges 'progress is needed' and says some of Teneo's suggested security measures 'should only be implemented after careful consideration for the needs of the citizens of our unique city.'
The attack came after a private security consulting firm warned in a 2019 report that 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 safety structures known as bollards –– vertical posts that can be anchored in place or move up and down –– be fixed and improved 'immediately.'
In addition to the missing sturdy bollards, which were under repair, the city's portable steel barriers were in the down position during New Year's celebrations, CNN previously reported.
The attacker, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, visited the city twice in the months prior and used Meta smart glasses to film the street and plan out the attack, according to the FBI.
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 FBI said. 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 Monday to announce public safety measures ahead of the city's French Quarter Fest, which will begin on Thursday and last through Sunday.
Road closures will be in place throughout the French Quarter, banning vehicles on Bourbon Street, along with several others.
'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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Man pleads no contest to shooting Delano K-9
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A man pleaded no contest Wednesday to nine charges filed in connection with an incident on New Year's Day 2022 in which he allegedly shot a Delano police dog then pointed the gun at officers. Eduardo Figueroa, 41, faces 20 years and eight months in prison at sentencing in August. He pleaded no contest to harming a police dog, six counts of assault with a gun on a peace officer, possession of a gun by a felon and recklessly evading police. The dog, Axel, survived. Bullet fragments were found near his right shoulder and along the shoulder and neck area near the spinal column. According to court filings, Figueroa led McFarland police on a chase through the city, speeding and running stop signs, before stopping at East Sherwood Avenue and San Lucas Street. He refused to leave the car. A K-9 was requested from Delano police. Axel was released and 'apprehended Figueroa through the open driver's side door,' the filings say. Figueroa fired at least twice, the filings say. Then seven officers opened fire, wounding him. He dropped the gun and was taken to Kern Medical, where he recovered. He was booked into jail once medically cleared. Figueroa told a sheriff's investigator he shot the dog to avoid getting bit, then pointed the gun at officers. A detective asked if he expected to get shot. 'Of course I did,' Figueroa said according to the filings. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Suspected crypto kidnapping mastermind detained in Morocco
One of the suspected masterminds behind a string of violent kidnappings in France of people linked to the cryptocurrency trade was detained Tuesday in Morocco, France's justice minister said. Badiss Mohamed Amide Bajjou, a 24-year-old French-Moroccan citizen from just outside Paris, was wanted by France for several crimes, including armed extortion and kidnapping as part of a criminal gang, according to the 'red notice' for him published by Interpol and Moroccan state media. French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin thanked Morocco on X for detaining the man, citing the 'excellent judicial cooperation' between the two countries. Bajjou had 'multiple bladed weapons of different sizes' in his possession when he was taken into custody, as well as 'dozens of mobile phones and communication devices' and a sum of money allegedly related to criminal activities, Moroccan state media reported. The man was apprehended, weeks after the latest kidnapping attempt in Paris, near Tangier in northern Morocco, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. He is allegedly linked to a string of violent crimes related to crypto funds dating back to at least January 21 of this year. In January, David Balland, cofounder of a crypto wallet company, and his partner, were kidnapped in central France with their attackers cutting off one of Balland's fingers as part of a 10-million euro ($11,430,000) ransom demand. The couple were later freed by elite French policemen, according to BFMTV. Bajjou is also suspected of involvement in the May kidnapping of another man working in the crypto industry, who also had one of his fingers cut off before his release, per BFMTV. Later that month, the daughter of the CEO of French cryptocurrency platform Paymium was saved by passers-by from a daylight kidnapping attempt in Paris, with Bajjou suspected to have been involved, BFMTV reported. On May 30, 25 people aged between 16 and 23 were put under official investigation in Paris, suspected of involvement in a kidnapping in May in Paris and an attempted kidnapping in the western French city of Nantes.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mayor wants authority to hire, fire police chief
Only two of the seven members of the commission responsible for hiring and firing the Honolulu police chief were told by Mayor Rick Blangiardi that he wants to bring in Hawaii island's police chief to Arthur 'Joe ' Logan. Blangiardi, in an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, said his administration will introduce an amendment to the city charter to remove the Honolulu Police Commission's authority over the office of the chief of the police. The Honolulu Police Department is only city department that the mayor cannot make decisions about the leadership of, he said. The Office of the Mayor is responsible for keeping the community safe, Blangiardi said, noting you can't 'hold somebody responsible and not give them commensurate authority.' 'I don't have the authority to hire and fire (the police chief ). But that doesn't mean I can't have a candid conversation with the chief of police about the state of the department. Which is exactly what I did, ' said Blangiardi, noting the process of seeking to change the city charter takes at least 18 months. 'I have responsibility not only for HPD but all public safety issues and I have no authority, to deal, officially, (with ) who is the chief of police ' Blangiardi said. 'That's wrong and that is fundamentally bad management structure.' In response to a Star-Advertiser request to interview Logan, Kathleen Alina Lee, HPD's public information officer, told the Star-Advertiser that at 'this time, Chief Logan will not be offering interviews regarding his retirement.' 'All information available is in his current statement. Should he decide to open up the opportunities for interviews in the future, we'll reach out and let media know, ' said Lee, in a statement. The commissioners will meet today at 2 p.m. in the first floor Conference Room A at HPD's Alapai Headquarters for their regularly scheduled meeting. Blangiardi informed HPC Chair Kenneth Silva and Vice Chair Laurie Foster that Logan would retire June 30 and he had negotiated Hawaii Police Chief Ben Moszkowicz's application to serve as interim HPD chief starting July 16. Moszkowicz, a former major with HPD, was one of four finalists for chief when Logan, 66, was selected May 23, 2022. Moszkowicz is a 22-year veteran of HPD who left the department to become chief on Hawaii island. Blangiardi made no secret of his desire for Logan to move on from his post. A public rift between the two leaders emerged following a 2024 New Year's Day-long manhunt and shootout. HPD did not notify the public that officers were chasing around the island an armed attempted murder suspect, who had shot his ex-girlfriend, until the suspect was dead and two officers were shot. The Star-Advertiser asked all seven members of the commission if they discussed Blangiardi's police leadership transition and what they knew about Logan's retirement, who informed them and when. On Monday, Blangiardi, speaking to reporters in his office about Logan's ouster, said commissioners were 'well aware of this for some time now.' The commission is not required to consider Blangiardi's recommendation more than other applicants. The Star-Advertiser also asked about Blangiardi's desire to take away the commission's oversight of HPD's chief. Foster told the Star-Advertiser that in mid-May, the mayor 'indicated to me that he was going to act on his dissatisfaction with the chief ' but did not discuss how he planned to do so 'nor did he mention Chief Ben as a replacement.' Foster believes it is 'inappropriate to suggest that the answer to HPD governance is simply the mayor having oversight authority over the chief.' 'The entire HPD governance model has to be comprehensively reassessed. As I understand it, oversight authority of the chief's office was removed from the mayor in the past for good reason. In part, that reason was to separate HPD governance from the political process, which seems quite appropriate for that time period, ' Foster said. 'When that happened, however, there appears to have been little thought given to the appropriate HPC governance of HPD. Currently, HPC has very little ability to influence the chief or HPD and therefore HPC is a neutered organization that is considerably hampered from doing their job of 'holding the chief accountable.'' The criteria for selecting commissioners and the selection process is 'flawed ' and needs to be assessed as well, he said. 'My suggestion is that a small group of knowledgeable and unbiased people be assigned the responsibility of comprehensively assessing the entire HPD governance model and to make recommendations to the City Council, ' Foster said. This group would focus only on HPD governance, not on all commissions, she said. The Charter Commission is tasked with assessing all commissions and 'I suggest that this mandate is too broad.' Commissioners did not discuss the mayor's move to take out Logan and make Moszkowicz HPD's 13th chief, Silva told the Star-Advertiser. 'The commission will accept all interested and qualified candidates cover letters and resumes for consideration, ' said Silva, noting that as of Monday afternoon no one had applied to serve as interim HPD chief. He and Blangiardi 'had conversations regarding Chief Logan's leadership at HPD.' 'The commission meets twice a month. Our next meeting is June 4. The commission, because of the sunshine (law ), did not meet to discuss chief's retirement (on Monday ), ' said Silva, noting the commission had just started to review Logan's annual performance review. 'Chief Logan didn't let me know he was retiring until after the meeting he had with the mayor (on Monday ).' Logan's last review from the commission in August said he was exceeding expectations as a leader, innovator and a cost saver while needing to improve internal and external communications. Commissioner Ann Botticelli told the Star-Advertiser she learned of Logan's retirement from the news media. She interviewed Moszkowicz as part of the chief selection process in 2022 and he 'was a good candidate.' 'Having said that, I believe our responsibility is to invite others to also apply (internally and externally ) and select the best candidate for the job, ' she said. Botticelli said it is a good idea to review how the commission is set up in general, to include a review of why it was first established in 1932. That review should include a look at what the roles and responsibilities of the commission are and whether they are still appropriate today. Any consideration of overhauling the commission should also consider why voters rejected previous attempts to change the charter to give the mayor the same authority to hire and fire the police chief, Botticelli said. 'The larger question of who should be responsible for hiring and firing the chief should be part of that larger discussion, ' she said. Commissioner Doug Chin told the Star-Advertiser that he did not know Logan was retiring until 'I heard the announcement on Monday around 4 p.m. ' … But I also had stepped down in January from being chair when my official term had expired and I became a holdover appointment. I hope to learn more at a future meeting, ' Chin said. Commissioners Elizabeth Char, Carrie K.S. Okinaga and Jeannine A. Souki did not reply to Star-Advertiser requests for comment. All members serve staggered five-year terms and the panel 'appoints and may remove the Chief of Police, ' according to the city's description of commissioners' duties. Commissioners review rules and regulations for the HPD's administration, the annual budget and may make recommendations to the mayor. The commission also receives, considers and 'investigates charges brought by the public against the conduct of the department or any of its members ' and submits a written report of its findings to the chief, who is responsible for the disciplinary process.
