Local experts react to New Orleans attack, discuss security

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Security experts in Buffalo said there were security failures ahead of and during the New Year's Day attack in New Orleans, where a U.S. Army veteran driving a pickup truck sped down Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring more than 30 others.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the driver as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas. President Joe Biden said Wednesday night that Jabbar posted videos to social media hours before the attack and said he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

"Clearly this was a case of the security plan failed that allowed for something like this to happen," said Jeff Rinaldo, vice president of Tarian Group, a local security and risk management agency.

Rinaldo said the attack in New Orleans, which is being investigated as a terrorist act by the FBI, is not only heartbreaking, but also a glaring example of not enough being done to secure Bourbon Street, since the driver was able to drive around barricades.

"Any time you have a large gathering in the public street of pedestrians, you have to have hard barricades in place, things that cannot be driven around, things that cannot be defeated," Rinaldo said.

For Buffalo's ball drop, plow trucks and other heavy equipment were staged outside Roosevelt Plaza. SWAT, bomb teams and K-9's were also on standby, as well as a tethered drone.

"We work with the sheriff's department, we work with the New York State Police, we work with the FBI on threat pictures, intelligence, again, there's a lot to go to make this a safe and fun and happy event as it should be," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia.

Buffalo police said there were very minor incidents involving teens during the city's New Year's Eve celebration. Gramaglia called events similar to these, such as Taste of Buffalo, the St. Patrick’s Day parade and the Buffalo Italian Heritage Festival, "soft targets," which he defined as large gatherings those are looking to do harm to and see as easy targets.

"Look, you can’t harden your target enough for every event. You do your best to harden your target the best that you can," he said. "There's always going to be a vulnerability somewhere. When you have that vulnerability, it's how you respond to that."

WIVB News 4 spoke to Carla Pesono, a former Buffalonian and current New Orleans resident, who is the president of a Bills Backers Club in the city. She compared Bourbon Street to Chippewa Street block parties and said everyone is in mourning.

“Guards were down. People were just out having a good time and no one thought anything like this could be possible," Pesono said. “New Orleans is resilient. I mean, they're no stranger to horrible devastations with hurricanes and violence, and we just come back stronger and better. It's such a tight-knit community here, just like Buffalo. Buffalo is the city of good neighbors, so is New Orleans. Everyone is just helping each other out and everyone's just going to be there for one another."

In New Orleans, the focus is on the suspect.

"The first thing you want to do is try to establish whether or not this was an individual actor or if there are others involved," said retired special agent in charge Bernie Tolbert of Buffalo's FBI Bureau.

Security experts also said police will look at what happened in New Orleans and work to fix any failures.

"You want to learn from this, you want to correct anything that wasn't done that could've been or should've been done," Tolbert said.

Gramaglia said the Buffalo Police Department is constantly tweaking protocols to never become complacent and works with partners in the United States and internationally to keep an eye on threats.

"Having lived and worked through a terrorist attack here in Buffalo, you have a sense of what they're going through and how they're feeling," he said. "Your heart goes out to that entire community."