CNN
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In 2019, a consulting firm found that public safety in New Orleans’ French Quarter was hampered by political conflicts between various law enforcement agencies, private security organizations, and stakeholders, according to a report obtained by CNN. It paints a portrait of a city whose ability to protect itself is hampered by dysfunction. A historic neighborhood.
The report by private security firm Interfor International is the same as one that “strongly” recommended “immediate” changes and improvements to the Bourbon Street traffic stop, which killed 14 people and left last week. It’s a stark warning that appears to be a tragic prophecy following a New Year’s truck crash. Dozens of people were injured.
CNN obtained a fully confidential version of Interfor’s report, but many of the details about the alleged interagency dysfunction were contained in a shorter public version available online since 2020. The published version does not include detailed concerns about vehicle ramming or terrorist risks. Widely.
An Interfor International report commissioned by the French Quarter Management District (FQMD) found that “internal politics and bickering” were “significant obstacles to good-faith efforts by stakeholders” to improve security in the district. It was determined that there is.
“During Interfor’s time with various FQ officials, we learned of accusations of palace intrigues and agendas, and that each group’s ‘red lines’ that instantly nullified any proposals or initiatives were cornered.” I was repeatedly reminded of what was lurking around the corner. Water, no matter how insignificant it actually is,” the report says.
Although traditionally excluded from security assessments, “Interfor feels a responsibility to shine a light on this dynamic,” the report said. “Perhaps in the face of this external condemnation, those involved will be encouraged to soften their stance and actually work towards a common goal shared by all.”
One person, identified in the report as a “prominent businessman with many years of experience in New Orleans,” reportedly said that integrating the security services was a “pipe dream” and that “everybody hates each other.” There is.
CNN has reached out to the FQMD, which was created by the state Legislature to help improve and preserve the French Quarter in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, for comment. The report said it was commissioned to review and assess security in the area and its effectiveness, and make recommendations to “achieve the desired level of security”.
In a statement to CNN on Saturday regarding the public version of the report, FQMD said: “Due to the strength of our ongoing partnership with the city and the (New Orleans Police Department), we are committed to addressing the concerns of residents and businesses, as well as our findings. “It will be possible to communicate openly about the “or completed report.” ”
In an August 2020 news release issued with the public version of Interfor’s report, FQMD Board Chair Christian Pendleton said, “Many law enforcement agencies are operating voluntarily in neighborhoods. The FQMD said it had requested an independent review.
Pendleton said Interfor recommended “effective” improvements and identified “achievable efficiencies.”
“This assessment confirms that the FQMD has implemented a transparent and effective supplementary police patrol program and that the structure of the future French Quarterly Unified Plan for Security should build on its successes. “It shows,” Pendleton said. “FQMD continues to work for the safety of our owners, residents, employees, and visitors to the French Quarter.”
The attacker, Shamsud Din Jabbar, 42, pledged allegiance to ISIS, plowed his pickup truck into revelers on Bourbon Street just after 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, then got out of the truck and drove his pickup truck into revelers on New Year’s Day, the FBI said. A shot was fired. Mr. Jabbar was killed in a gunfight with police.
The report said the security firm found that security in the French Quarter was handled in a patchwork manner in 2019, with about a dozen law enforcement agencies jointly managing security in the area. Outlines the role and recognition of security agencies.
Officials generally thought well of some agencies, including the New Orleans Police Department, the report said. But the NOPD at the time suffered from staffing issues, which likely contributed to the need for so many agencies to be involved, according to the report.
Don Aviv, CEO of Interfor International, likened the disparate agencies and stakeholders to “fiefdoms,” each vying for funding and control within an area less than a square mile.
“Realistically, the NOPD should have command and control over the entire area,” Aviv told CNN. “But they don’t have the resources, they have too many infightings with other agencies, and they have too many cooks in the kitchen.”
It is unclear which, if any, of Interfor’s recommendations have been implemented. However, Aviv said he has not heard from the city since the report was published, despite recommending a follow-up investigation and an offer for further consultation.
Interfor’s recommendations to prevent vehicle ramming, like the one made last week, have garnered a lot of attention, but its “most security-focused and systematic recommendations are the same as the one in the French Quarter.” “We are taking important steps to integrate security and police resources.”
As CNN previously reported, Interfor determined that the risk of terrorism in the French Quarter, particularly mass shootings and vehicle attacks, remains “likely high but moderately likely.”
“The rationale for these two methods is strengthened when you consider that Bourbon Street, the highest-profile target in New Orleans, is an open-air thoroughfare with little or no access control,” the report said. I am.
To this end, the company “strongly” recommended “immediate modification/improvement of bollard mobilization” on Bourbon Street. At the time of Interfor’s investigation, the installed bollard system did not appear to be functioning. Interfor added that even if the bollards were functional, they were not used.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said last week that the parking system has been plagued by failures. The city is working on improvements to the bollards that were scheduled to be unveiled before next month’s Super Bowl.
However, Reuters reports that these barriers can only withstand vehicle impacts at speeds of 16 miles per hour. Cantrell announced Sunday that he plans to have a tactical expert review the city’s security plan “to determine whether these bollards are sufficient.”
“This is a work in progress and we are committed to doing everything necessary to ensure public safety measures,” Cantrell said.
According to Interfor’s 2019 report, the company has so far only seen mobile NOPD barriers deployed at intersections along Bourbon Street.
However, surveillance footage from Bourbon Street taken the night of the attack shows a pickup truck driving off at high speed over a fence that was not in place at the time of the attack, nearly killing the partygoers and leaving them missing. It was shown how he did it.
CNN’s Holly Yang contributed to this report.
