Super Bowl 59: NFL says security will be ‘more visible' in New Orleans after Bourbon Street attack
The NFL has ramped up its security plan for the Super Bowl in the wake of the deadly attack on Bourbon Street on New Year's Day.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in Super Bowl LIX at the Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. The NFL has been working on security plans for the game for over a year, though Cathy Lanier, the league's chief security officer, confirmed that it has since revisited and reassessed those plans after the attack in the city.
Among other things, Lanier said officers will be much 'more visible' both around the stadium and throughout the city.
'I think you're going to see more visible uniformed presence, uniformed law enforcement,' Lanier told The Washington Post. 'And obviously there's a significant amount of law enforcement dedicated to this event, so more uniformed and non-uniformed law enforcement. You'll just see our security perimeter is normally pretty large and pretty significant for the Super Bowl. That's not going to change. But you'll see a lot more resources, a lot more people, a lot more law enforcement specifically.'
Officials said that a man drove a rented pickup truck through a crowd of people celebrating on Bourbon Street in New Orleans early on New Year's Day, killing 14 people and injuring dozens of others. The man, identified as a 42-year-old army veteran from Texas, was later killed in a shootout with police.
The attack resulted in the Sugar Bowl matchup between Notre Dame and Georgia being postponed. That game, part of the expanded College Football Playoff, was then held on Jan. 2 without issue at the Superdome.
Regardless of where it is held, the Super Bowl is considered a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1 event, which is defined as 'significant events with national and/or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support,' per The Washington Post. There are already numerous security measures in place, including temporary flight restrictions above the stadium and numerous federal agencies on the ground to assist with security.
'Obviously everybody at the NFL and everybody else that's involved in this planning effort is very saddened by the events of January 1 but also watching very closely,' Lanier said. 'So we know that security is top of mind for everyone as we go into this planning process, the last stages of the planning. But this is an effort that's been underway for 18 months.'
While the city is only a few weeks removed from the New Year's Day attack, Lanier also confirmed that there are 'no known or credible threats at all' for the Super Bowl.
At least from her side of things, it should feel relatively normal in New Orleans.
'My guess would be people who attend multiple Super Bowls, it's going to feel a lot like every other Super Bowl,' she said. 'There's always a lot of security. My guess is you're going to see more visible security. I think you're going to see more uniformed police officers walking around. I think you're going to see more engagement by police talking with people, engaging with people, trying to make people feel like they are safe.'
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