ORLANDO, Fla. — After the tragedy in New Orleans, questions are being raised about security measures and infrastructures in cities across the country, including Orlando.
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Video shows the horrific moment Shamsud Din Jabbar swerved around a patrol car and rammed a pickup truck through a crowd on Bourbon Street.
“Had there been multiple different checkpoints that person would have had to go through? Would they have access to the crowd at that point? One could argue that they wouldn’t,” said Daniel Marquith, a former senior federal law enforcement official.
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Marquith told Eyewitness News there needs to be multiple layers of barriers during large events.
In the case of New Orleans, there was just one-- the patrol car.
New Orleans officials said steel columns known as bollards were not out New Year’s Day because they were in the process of being replaced.
These metal posts are supposed to prevent cars, particularly drunk drivers, from moving down a street or sidewalk.
Marquith said these bollards could have helped to prevent the attack on Bourbon Street.
“The fact remains government has to be able to protect its citizens. And you’re either going to pay upfront and protect them or you’re going to pay later when you’re in a worldwide stage and everybody sees your failures,” Marquith said.
In downtown Orlando, you can see some of these permanent bollards along parts of Orange Avenue and outside Lake Eola.
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According to the city’s capital improvement project booklets, the Downtown Development Board requested for more bollards to be placed through downtown. Records show the project was first planned to happen in 2020 into 2021, but for the last two years, the board has continued to request for the bollards. It would cost about $1.6 million.
“I think there’s always going to be room for improvement. The fact of the matter is bad guys are always going to try and figure out ways to get around the good guys,” Marquith said.
We asked the City of Orlando about the bollards. The Mayor’s Office released a statement, stating in part, “We assess the specific needs of each event and implement various types of barricades to mitigate any roadway safety impacts to ensure the protection of our community. We have various forms of barricades located surrounding certain streets in downtown and major venues such as the Kia Center and Camping World Stadium and adjust for each event.”
Marquith said there are other barriers that can be used instead of bollards, including dump trucks or school buses.
He said cities across the country are likely discussing how they can enhance security infrastructure in the wake of the New Orleans attack. He says officials are seeing more cases of terrorists using cars to harm as many people as possible.
“We’re in one of the most difficult threat environments that we’ve seen since 9/11. This type of attack is very unsophisticated. It’s easy to accomplish, and it puts little effort into preparation,” Marquith said.
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