Former Baltimore police commissioner warns of vulnerability after New Orleans terror attack
BALTIMORE -- Former Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison, who once led the police force in New Orleans, said cities must be prepared at crowded and special events, not only with a robust law enforcement presence, but also with physical barriers to stop an attack with a vehicle.
Harrison expressed his heartbreak at the terrorism in his hometown hours after a man plowed a truck into a crowd, killing at least 15 and injuring dozens more.
"It was sheer horror, shock, anger, disgust because it happened in our city, and it happened in a city that took a lot of effort to fortify this area—and it still happened," Harrison said from his New Orleans' home. "There are a lot of questions that have to be asked and answered. This was not just some person who wanted to do bad things, but this was an act of terrorism and a person who intentionally and willingly wanted to hurt and harm and kill people and did just that."
Harrison was New Orleans' police chief when bollards—security devices to stop vehicles—went up on Bourbon Street in 2017 following a truck attack in France.
He has questions about why they were not in place in the deadly New Year's Day attack.
"If this area was fortified, if millions of dollars were spent to put up bollards to prevent vehicles from plowing into crowds, what happened? Why did it happen? Who is responsible? Could this have been prevented?" Harrison asked.
Modeled vehicular barriers in Baltimore
As Baltimore's commissioner, Harrison used large vehicles like garbage trucks to block access points at major events. He said it was a lesson he learned from his time leading the police department in New Orleans.
"We had always beefed up security in terms of police officers, added law enforcement from the sheriff's department, from other enforcement agencies where people would congregate in Federal Hill, in Fells Point, and if you remember on those nights, we even used large city vehicles—a lesson I learned in New Orleans—to block off streets so that cars could not plow into areas where pedestrians gather," Harrison told Hellgren. "The issue of what happened in New Orleans—and why that did not work—that's under investigation now, but cities should be thinking about not just their security in terms of the presence of law enforcement but the infrastructure that needs to happen to prevent people from driving vehicles small and large from plowing into crowds that gather in public places."
At the Inner Harbor New Year's celebration, police restricted parking and blocked large trucks from the crowds.
"Baltimore hosts a lot of events. People should be aware of their surroundings," Harrison said. "We are all vulnerable. We all should be thinking about it. It's horrible tragedies like this one that make us go back to the drawing table—that make us think and ask questions are we as secure as we think we are and should we be more secure."
For Harrison, the New Orleans tragedy is personal. He told Hellgren he reached out to the police chief to offer any support.
"I know what it's like to be in a situation where you are now leading in a crisis, and New Orleans is now in a crisis," Harrison said. "Now the trauma they have to deal with, and the trauma that we as New Orleanians have to deal with knowing that an act of terrorism is in our city, is something we all have to grapple with for days weeks and months maybe even years to come."
Baltimore mayor prays for New Orleans
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Monday the city takes extra precautions during major events, including this weekend's Ravens game.
"Last night for the fireworks, we had a big deployment there. We'll be having a big deployment as the Ravens go out to clinch the AFC North on Saturday," Scott said. "We always prepare in our BPD, and law enforcement partners always talk about any threats and things like that. We'll just adjust accordingly."
Mayor Scott continued, "When you're having major events, this is why you have to be prepared, and you have to walk through scenarios and have to have things in place because things like this can happen. You just have to be able to do what you can do to stop them."
The mayor also expressed his condolences to the victims.
"Any time you have something like that it is horrific, and our prayers go out to the entire city of New Orleans," Scott said. "My sister mayor, Mayor Cantrell, who I just talked to last week, I just hope the city can get some peace and some answers for those victims and their families. It's just an unthinkable tragedy at a time when people wanted to be celebrating."
Maryland law enforcement agencies monitoring security
After the deadly incident on Bourbon Street, WJZ is hearing from local agencies on safety measures at special events:
Baltimore County police told WJZ in a statement, "The Baltimore County Police Department implements incident action plans for all special events held within Baltimore County that include strategic safety measures. The safety of our Baltimore County residents and visitors is always our top priority."
The Harford County Sheriff's Office also responded, "The HCSO maintains a robust security posture daily, actively monitoring for emerging threats and implementing preventative measures to protect our communities. As of now, we are monitoring the situation in New Orleans and evaluating the information being shared to determine if changes to our current posture are necessary."
Anne Arundel County police posted this message on social media: "The Anne Arundel County Police Department extends heartfelt thoughts and prayers to the city of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department after the fatal traffic crash that resulted in 10 fatalities and more than 30 injured victims including two NOPD officers who were struck by gunfire."
