A Preventable Tragedy in New Orleans

As we learn more about the horrific terrorist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day, I begin by offering my condolences to the victims, their families, and the entire New Orleans community during this difficult time. I commend the bravery and quick actions of the police officers who engaged and neutralized the attacker, preventing further loss of life. As a person who is committed to public service and prevention, I am frustrated and angered watching incidents of violence continue to occur in nightlife and entertainment areas.

The media has spent considerable time covering the attacker's identity and motive. They have also been asking important questions about whether the New Orleans city leaders could have done more to prevent the deaths and injuries that occurred. While the media are not security experts, they clearly identified a glaring failure: not protecting the sidewalk the perpetrator used to access Bourbon Street.

Security consultants have also weighed in, reviewing perimeter security strategies and suggesting city officials did not do enough to protect people in the French Quarter. Along with condolences for the victims and their families, the mayor and police superintendent acknowledged that the moveable bollard system had not been working for some time, and there was a plan to replace many of the units throughout the French Quarter ahead of the Super Bowl scheduled for early February 2025. Additionally, in the days after the attack, the New Orleans Police Superintendent admitted to not knowing the Archer 1200 Guard barriers were a tool in the police department’s deployment strategy.?

As a former nightlife liaison, I developed relationships between businesses, organizations, community groups, and municipal government agencies to reduce alcohol-related harm and violence. While the failure to use the barriers seems obvious, I am more interested in why the barriers were not used and the apparent lack of communication between New Orleans’ elected officials, city agencies, and the police department. This may explain how city leaders and police commanders apparently knew the risks, had the vehicle barriers needed, and did not use them.

Several days after the attack, the Louisiana governor, New Orleans mayor, and police superintendent took on a more defensive tone, attempting to justify that they had done all they could to protect people on Bourbon Street. They’ve argued that regardless of their efforts, the perpetrator still found a way to commit this act of terrorism.

As a nightlife safety expert conducting assessments in nightlife and entertainment districts, I often navigate municipal leaders, police executives, and elected officials who disregard evidence-based research and practice. Some officials ignore the evidence because they believe they know better, while others deploy "security theater" - a visible police presence that gives the community a false sense of safety without providing actual protection.

A prime example is the use of police cruisers as barriers to protect people, which experts such as?Robert Reiter, a safety and security specialist and co-founder of the Storefront Safety Council, have repeatedly stated is an inefficient and ineffective approach. However, in communities across the U.S., police departments regularly use police vehicles, believing they will protect people at events such as parades and festivals, similar to the police deployment in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve.?

I had a similar experience addressing pedestrian and patron safety as Arlington County, VA’s nightlife liaison. Beginning in 2017 and throughout my tenure leading the Arlington Restaurant Initiative, I kept a working document of incidents where vehicles were used as a weapon (VAW) worldwide. In 2018, I visited the French Quarter a week after Mardi Gras, eager to see how the city deployed resources from a nightlife management perspective. One of the tools they used to block streets and sidewalks was portable yellow vehicle barriers called the Archer Guard by Meridian Barriers. I took photos of the Archer barriers, convinced they would be beneficial in protecting patrons in the nightlife areas I managed. Each year until my retirement in 2021, I submitted proposals to county officials requesting the installation of bollards or protective barriers in our nightlife areas. However, these proposals were repeatedly rejected or ignored, with officials citing the high cost. In the summer of 2022, a vehicle crashed into the front of Ireland’s Four Courts restaurant, causing a fire, injuring more than a dozen people, and shuttering the business for more than a year. Arlington has yet to install bollards or barriers to protect its vulnerable nightlife areas.

While leaders in New Orleans may now be considering their liability, the victims and their families deserve accountability from their leaders and a genuine apology. Several elected officials interviewed repeatedly said the victims did not die in vain and that they were honoring the victims by reopening Bourbon Street and returning to normal. However, to prevent another tragedy, New Orleans officials must improve interagency communication and deployment strategies while consistently following professional security protocols.

Businesses, the community, tourists, and line officers deserve a more comprehensive approach to improve safety in New Orleans. This responsibility also extends to elected officials, city managers, and police executives in towns and cities across the U.S. Those in charge must ensure their deployment and strategies adhere to evidence-based research and practices rooted in prevention rather than relying on intuition or tradition.

Dimitrios Mastoras is a retired master police officer, nightlife safety expert, and co-founder of Safe Night LLC.

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