Unprecedented security measures are being implemented in New Orleans, Louisiana, as the city prepares to host Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, with officials promising to make the Superdome “the safest place to be.” The heightened security, which will reportedly involve more than 2,500 officers from state and federal agencies, comes in response to the terrorist attack on New Years Eve that took the lives of 14 Bourbon Street revelers.
“We will have more federal assets, more federal law enforcement, more state and local law enforcement, probably, than any other Super Bowl,” New Orleans Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune told ABC News. “We would be foolish if we didn’t use the events of January 1 to inform the plans we can put forward for the Super Bowl.”
During the New Year’s celebrations in New Orleans’ French Quarter, 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a rented Ford F-150 pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street. The attack resulted in the deaths of 14 individuals and injuries to at least 57 others. After crashing the vehicle, Jabbar exited and engaged in a shootout with police before being fatally shot.
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Jabbar, a U Army veteran from Texas, had expressed support for the Islamic State (ISIS) in videos posted on social media hours before the attack. An ISIS flag was found in his truck, along with weapons and potential improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The attack is still being investigated as an act of terrorism, and local and state governments have taken precautions to prevent a similar incident from playing out as thousands of football fans flock to the city to watch the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Attendees can expect a visible law enforcement presence and a comprehensive review of security protocols implemented in the wake of the attack. Authorities have emphasized public vigilance and adherence to new security guidelines, including a clear bag policy and mobile ticketing.
“You’re going to see uniform law enforcement, tactically. See helicopters, drones, see additional camera locations. You can see armored vehicles like Bearcats that are placed throughout the city,” DeLaune said. “You will see people on rooftops, spotters on rooftops. We’re going to bring everything we have to bear to make sure that people can feel comfortable.”
“I’m confident the safest place this weekend will be under the security umbrella we have in place around [the Superdome],” Cathy L. Lanier, chief security officer for the NFL, said during a Monday morning press conference. “We have reviewed, and re-reviewed, all the events of January 1.”
President Donald Trump is also planning to attend the game, marking the first time a sitting president has appeared at a Super Bowl and adding Secret Service resources to the security effort. Newly appointed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed that there are currently no credible threats to either the president or Super Bowl attendees, though the FBI reportedly has 450 agents in New Orleans to investigate any possible security risks.
“The world is a much more dangerous place. But right now we are safe here in the homeland,” Noem said.
“Our citizens have seen death and destruction in a place that represents all of America,” Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said in a separate statement addressing the security measures. “That America would continue to stand up to those who intend to wreak havoc on us, and that they would go on enjoying their lives.”
Super Bowl LIX will air live from New Orleans at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 9.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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