From aircraft churning in the clouds above the , French Quarter , to , Louisiana National Guard , people toting M4 rifle alongside parties gripping Hand Grenade beverages on , Bourbon Street, the whole force of the large law enforcement presence in , New Orleans , came into focus Wednesday as , Super Bowl , crowds began building.
Large metal barricades, bollards, bridges and holes in varying configurations cluttered almost every wall of the Vieux Carre, usually manned by soldiers. Border patrol members from the federal government also manned the area, some of whom had defensive off-road Polaris cars. On another streets, state officials kept watch.
Cats snuck past bags entering city hotels as dozens of them did. At a strongly guarded station on Canal and Bourbon roads,  , National Guard , people in colour peered into luggage as people walked beyond.
It was at that exact location that a brainwashed Army veteran from , Texas  , veered his F-150 around a parked police ship and sped down , Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring dozens more on , New Year’s Day.
Today, more than 2, 000 national, local and state officials occupy that earth to ensure the large crowds expected for Sunday’s large activity are safe,  , New Orleans , Police Department Superintendent , Anne Kirkpatrick , said.
” I don’t know of any city right now with this amount of system with the exception of , New York”, Kirkpatrick said. ” We’re pretty excited about this year, and we’re definitely very prepared”.
The problem program that the , French Quarter , has become, weeks after the dreadful car harm, is the most obvious piece of a security apparatus that includes much that is unknown, officials say. Anti-drones, threat analysts, snipers and an extensive network of high-tech cameras with far-reaching AI capabilities are among the tools in place, according to federal and local officials.
” Both covert and overt teams are in and around the downtown area”, said , Tonya Barrett, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations.
Even more security
On Wednesday, it was challenging to leave The Quarter and transform it into a honed security zone. Surrounding Bourbon Street, at least two , National Guard , soldiers staffed each of many wedge barriers blocking street access. Some of them served as impromptu snack tables stocked with bottled water,  , Chee-tos and paper sacks from Cafe , du Monde.
” Right now, we’re seeing more workers and staff than visitors. And I have mixed feelings about the National Guard—these young people holding M4s”, said pedicab operator David” No Chill” Pilioski.
Pilioski has pedaled visitors around for , Mardi Gras , and two , Sugar Bowls, and he was at work the night Shamsud-din Jabbar went on his killing spree after professing allegiance to the , Islamic State. He claimed that the physical barriers put up in response to the attack have altered how his and his colleagues perform their duties.
” The bollards we had before the , Super Bowl , were like Swiss cheese”, Pilioski said. ” We could maneuver around the side. … Right now, security’s much tighter”.
Kirkpatrick said that , Bourbon Street , would have a “hard closure” from , 5 p. m. to 5 a. m., when it will become “essentially for pedestrians”.
Meanwhile, a series of metal archers guarded the entrances to , Jackson Square, where five , National Guard , soldiers joined a sparse crowd of onlookers Wednesday to watch a mime perform a” trapped in a box” routine.
A hardened target
Much of the federal security apparatus is standard for the , Super Bowl , and would be in place regardless of the , Jan. 1 , attack, said , Jim Hayes, a retired senior agent with the , Department of Homeland Security , who participated in federal security operations for the 2014 , Super Bowl , and other major events.
Hayes said many of the unseen security measures are now in full effect from the airport to downtown , New Orleans. They center on” threat intelligence,” which includes monitoring of social media networks prior to the game.
The aim is to” see what people are saying about the , Super Bowl, the attitude about the , Super Bowl”, he said. ” They’re investigating even minor threats that may be made electronically”.
Security will tighten even more now that President , Donald Trump , plans to attend the game on Sunday, prompting police to initiate Superdome street closures from , Loyola Avenue , to , Galvez Street , earlier than planned, NOPD said.
“You’re going to have  , Secret Service , more heavily involved in the screening. You’re going to have a sitting President in the venue”, Hayes said.
Troops and barriers galore
While Pilioski feared that his bottom line would be hampered by military checkpoints and other obstacles, others see the upcoming days as promising.  , Antonio David, who works at Truffoire Gourmet , Skin Care , on , Decatur Street, said he expects” a lot of customers”, despite the hassles.
” It feels safe. It’s a little bit harder ( to get to work ), but it’s fine”, David said. ” We’re excited for the , Super Bowl”.
Swift responses
The heavy military presence in the Vieux Carre doesn’t stop all crimes against humanity, but it does guarantee quick responses.
A state police SWAT team responded on Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. after a man followed a woman into a coffee shop and grabbed her from behind Decatur and Barracks streets.
Workers who had a sense that the man was “on something” were interrogated by the troopers. The woman,  , Amy Qi , of , New Orleans, had come to the coffee house to get some work done and said she was surprised and heartened by the swift response.
” When police came super quickly— I didn’t think that would happen”, Qi said. ” I feel really safe here”.
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