How Seattle is responding to the New Orleans attack
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Police cordon off the intersection of Canal Street and Bourbon Street in New Orleans on Jan. 1. Photo: Matthew Hinton/AFP via Getty Images
Seattle police and city officials are looking at ways to protect people from vehicle attacks like the one that killed 14 people in New Orleans on New Year's Day.
The big picture: Experts say car attacks that use vehicles as weapons are becoming more common globally, but can be difficult to prevent.
The latest: Last Friday, Seattle police took part in an online national briefing hosted by the FBI about the Jan. 1 attack in New Orleans, in which a man drove a truck through crowds on Bourbon Street.
- After the briefing, SPD leaders met to discuss safety at upcoming local events, including marches to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and gatherings related to President-elect Trump's inauguration, interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr said in an emailed statement to Axios.
- More planning meetings on safety and security are being held this week, Rahr said.
State of play: Seattle police already use mobile Meridian Archer 1200 barriers at public events to help prevent vehicles from driving through crowds, Detective Eric Muñoz wrote in an email to Axios.
- Those steel barriers are the same type that New Orleans police had in storage, but that were not deployed on Bourbon Street ahead of the attack.
- New Orleans Police Department superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she didn't know about the barriers, in a now-viral video clip.
Zoom in: In Seattle, the mobile steel barriers were in use at a Nov. 29 tree lighting ceremony at Westlake Park.
- They were also in place for New Year's Day celebrations at the Space Needle, Muñoz said.
Yes, but: Seattle police are exploring other types of barriers, too — including potentially using large, heavy vehicles from King County Metro Transit or the Seattle Department of Transportation, per Rahr's emailed statement.
- SPD is reaching out to those agencies to talk about whether their vehicles could help block cars from plowing through public gatherings, Rahr said.
Zoom in: Pike Place Market, one of Seattle's busiest tourist attractions, remains open to car traffic — something at least one community group argues is unsafe for pedestrians.
- "The NOLA tragedy highlights the urgent need to rethink Pike Place," the nonprofit Seattle Neighborhood Greenways wrote on X last week.
What we're watching: Callie Craighead, a spokesperson for Mayor Bruce Harrell, told Axios the mayor supports reducing vehicle traffic at the market, adding that "the city takes the risk of vehicle attacks very seriously."
- After last week's attack, Harrell directed city departments to explore ways to make Pike Place Market more pedestrian friendly, while also addressing "logistical challenges" that have come up in the past, Craighead said.
- Those include issues such as access for delivery drivers and people with disabilities, she said.