NFL Confident In Super Bowl Security Plan For New Orleans Despite Jan. 1 Terrorist Attack

NFL Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier sounded quite certain on Wednesday that the league has a great plan for keeping everyone at the Caesars Superdome safe during Super Bowl week.

"I think the most important thing is start off with a very clear and unequivocal [statement], saying without hesitation we are very confident in our security plan going into the Super Bowl in New Orleans," Lanier said Wednesday afternoon.

Security Two Years In Planning

The NFL has been working on the plan with federal, state and local law enforcement partners for nearly two years. And next week the plan will be implemented.

"We are confident this team is ready," Lanier said.

Multiple federal agencies have coordinated with state and local law enforcement and the NFL to put the plan together. The plan, however, changed after Jan. 1.

That day, New Orleans suffered a terrorist attack in which 14 people were killed, and 35 others were injured. That attack happened in the French Quarter, on Bourbon Street, which is a couple of miles from the Superdome.

And that attack changed things for the NFL. 

"In the weeks since the New Year's Day attack we have asked for and received some additional law enforcement support," Lanier said. 

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Police Presence In ‘Thousands’ 

Lanier declined to specify how many more officers were allocated or how many will be working during Super Bowl week, but mentioned "thousands."

"You're talking about thousands of sworn law enforcement that will be visible, some not as visible," Lanier said.

Lanier said she could not comment on whether the "thousands" represented a higher number than past Super Bowls.

Lanier said the New Orleans law enforcement and emergency services community has been "amazing."

"They have demonstrated that they are capable, prepared and resilient," she said. "I feel very confident that we're going to the Super Bowl in an environment that people are going to feel comfortable, they're going to feel safe, and they're going to enjoy the Super Bowl."

It should be understood that showing such confidence has to be difficult given the pivot that the terror attack caused. But Lanier, the former police chief in Washington, D.C., before joining the NFL in 2016, seems comfortable with how things are about to unfold despite the attack.

‘No Credible Threat’ Against Super Bowl

"We evaluate every security incident that happens globally, so we're constantly watching events like this when they happen so that we can change or modify our security posture as necessary," Lanier said. "I think the biggest thing that you'll see that's different following the attacks after January 1 is just a lot more visible law enforcement presence and a lot [more] hardened security perimeter. 

"We have a very large perimeter around the stadium."

The perimeter will be manned by private NFL security and law enforcement.

And here's the best news so far: Intelligence channels monitoring such things have identified no threats to the Super Bowl.

"We have not had any credible threats since January 1st," Lanier said. "I have daily check-ins. And as I mentioned earlier, one of the enhancements is really being tight in our group with information and intelligence sharing among all the partners. 

"There has been no specific or credible threat that has come through for the Super Bowl up to this point. So we feel pretty good."

Something visitors must be wary about that has been affected by the security and perimeter around the Superdome is the ability to get from one place to another.

"Traffic's going to be tough," Lanier said. 

So plan to walk, if you go.

Written by

Armando Salguero is a national award-winning columnist and is OutKick's Senior NFL Writer. He has covered the NFL since 1990 and is a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a voter for the Associated Press All-Pro Team and Awards. Salguero, selected a top 10 columnist by the APSE, has worked for the Miami Herald, Miami News, Palm Beach Post and ESPN as a national reporter. He has also hosted morning drive radio shows in South Florida.