The NFL and federal law enforcement are increasing security for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in response to the New Year's Day terrorist attack on Bourbon Street that killed 14 people, officials told ESPN.
Officials acknowledged that the New Orleans attack, in which a man drove a truck through crowds, prompted authorities to add extra manpower and resources to one of the most highly protected sporting events in the nation.
«We've increased our security posture significantly so that people can come here, they can see a strong law enforcement presence,» said Eric DeLaune, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans who is leading federal coordination for Super Bowl LIX.
«I'd like to say it doesn't change a lot in our security planning, but it does change things,» the NFL's Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier told ESPN. «Are we doing anything differently? Of course.»
More than 125,000 people are expected to travel to New Orleans for the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, just five weeks after the attack which led to the postponement of the Sugar Bowl.
DeLaune, who, like Lanier, is in New Orleans this week prepping for the event, said the increased security presence will soon be obvious. There will be SWAT team members, armored vehicles, special agents on rooftops, government surveillance drones and extra security cameras around the city, according to DeLaune. The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will patrol the Mississippi River and the Transportation Safety Administration will deploy more than 90 bomb-sniffing dogs.
«My goal was that you couldn't walk a city block in downtown New Orleans without at least encountering one law enforcement official,» DeLaune said. «I'm not trying to
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