The city of Salem, Massachusetts, which famously draws massive crowds during the Halloween season for its history with the Salem Witch Trials and its current "Haunted Happenings" events, is looking at new safety measures in the wake of the deadly attack in New Orleans on New Year's Day.
A rampaging driver killed 14 people and injured dozens of others on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of the Louisiana city. The suspect was killed in a firefight with police. The tragedy has raised concerns about safety at future public events, including in Salem, which regularly draws crowds as large as 100,000 people in October.
The Massachusetts city already bolsters security during its busy season, including having extra police and trained law enforcement patrols, rerouting traffic, and creating pedestrian-only spaces. But in a media release Friday, Mayor Dominick Pangallo and Police Chief Lucas Miller said there are lessons to be learned from what happened in New Orleans.
"The starkest lesson seems to be that while New Orleans enacted very similar measures to Salem to keep people on the street safe, the assailant was able to simply drive around barriers, either because mechanical bollards were out of service or because he drove on the sidewalk," the leaders wrote. "Another lesson is that while Mardi Gras would be the most likely event for an attack in New Orleans, any well-attended event is a target."
With those points in mind the city is looking to install additional bollards to better protect pedestrian areas. The installation had been planned before the attack, but Salem leaders said they intend to move up the timeline. They also intend to bring in an outside specialist to review existing public safety plans, and will review police staffing levels for October events.
New Orleans had removed security barriers known as bollards from Bourbon Street because they were malfunctioning, making it easier for the driver to ride up on the sidewalk during the attack. The city also has state-of-the-art barriers that can be deployed for safety during major events, though those barriers were not used until after the attack.
"While we are thinking about Salem, today we also grieve with the City of New Orleans and with the families and loved ones of those killed yesterday. We hope for a full recovery for all who were injured, and we stand in admiration for the NOPD officers who ended the threat and saved additional lives," Salem leaders wrote in their statement.
