The NFL, in coordination with the federal government, has increased security for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in light of the New Year's Day vehicular terrorist attack that killed 14 people.
Officials acknowledged to ESPN that the attack on New Year's Day was the catalyst for increasing security.
"We've increased our security posture significantly so that people can come here, they can see a strong law enforcement presence," said Eric DeLaune, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans who is leading federal coordination for Super Bowl LIX.
"I'd like to say it doesn't change a lot in our security planning, but it does change things," the NFL's chief security officer Cathy Lanier told ESPN. "Are we doing anything differently? Of course."
ESPN reports that 125,000 people are expected to travel to New Orleans for the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, just five weeks after the terrorist attack.
The increased security measures will include SWAT team members, special agents on rooftops, government surveillance drones and extra security cameras around the city. More than 90 bomb-sniffing dogs will also be deployed.
"My goal was that you couldn't walk a city block in downtown New Orleans without at least encountering one law enforcement official," DeLaune said. "I'm not trying to make people afraid. I want people to see that we're prepared."
Law enforcement has also deployed more intelligence analysts to watch for potential threats.
"You'll see plenty of uniformed people but there are going to be lots of plainclothes people in the crowds too," DeLaune said. "We want people to know that."
New Orleans was replacing street bollards when the vehicular attack occurred on New Year's Day, allowing the vehicle access to Bourbon Street, where the attack happened.
"It's my understanding that those bollards have not been in working order for some time and had been planned for replacement," Lanier said.
DeLuane said that barricade enforcement has increased since the attack.
"Barriers may not have been working. There may have been some other issues that played into the impact of this event on Jan. 1," he said. "But I can tell you the response is genuine. The response is because they want the city to be safer, they want Bourbon Street to be safer, and they don't want to see an attack like this happen again.
"I can see where somebody might have said there could have been more done, but I can tell you now that the stuff being done is not because of a Super Bowl. It's not because of Mardi Gras," he said. "It's because they genuinely are concerned about the safety and security of the citizens they serve, and they're trying to make things better."
