Boston Metropolis Councilor Erin Murphy stated there’s a “pressing need” for enhanced public security measures at giant public occasions within the Hub in mild of the terrorist assault that occurred throughout a New Yr’s Eve celebration in New Orleans.
Murphy filed a listening to order Thursday to debate methods to “proactively” improve protocols, given the abundance of large-scale public occasions, together with parades, festivals and open-street actions, that draw giant crowds to the town every year. She plans to introduce the measure at subsequent week’s Metropolis Council assembly.
“I filed this order to address the pressing need for enhanced public safety measures during large public events in Boston,” Murphy stated in an announcement. “The recent tragic events, such as the potential terrorist attack in New Orleans involving a truck driving into a crowd serve as stark reminders of the vulnerabilities faced by large gatherings.”
The assault killed 14 revelers. The motive force, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his rushing truck round a barricade and plowing into the gang, the Related Press reported.
An FBI official described the early-morning assault as an “act of terrorism” on Thursday, saying that it was “premeditated,” and Jabbar, a U.S. citizen from Texas, was “inspired” by the Islamic State terrorist group.
Murphy’s submitting seeks a listening to attended by representatives from the Boston Police and Transportation departments, the Mayor’s Workplace of Emergency Administration, and different related businesses and stakeholders, together with public security specialists and occasion organizers.
The dialogue, Murphy stated, is meant to deal with the usage of bodily boundaries to “deter and prevent vehicular threats in crowded areas,” and enhanced situational consciousness by the Boston Regional Intelligence Heart, the intelligence arm of BPD, amongst different “critical measures.”
“Proactively implementing enhanced safety measures, informed by BRIC’s intelligence and expertise, could strengthen the city’s preparedness for large-scale events and improve public safety outcomes,” Murphy’s order states.
Councilor Ed Flynn expressed help for Murphy’s request for a listening to in an announcement, saying, “Boston must be prepared for large public gatherings and provide the appropriate security and safety measures.”
Flynn, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Operation Enduring Freedom, launched in response to the 9/11 terrorist assaults, additionally burdened the significance of Boston persevering with to “work closely with city, state, and federal law enforcement partners and our military.”
“The terrorist attack in New Orleans is clearly an attack on every city and town in America,” Flynn stated. “We must be vigilant, prepared and constantly enhancing our law enforcement and intelligence gathering capabilities.”
Mayor Michelle Wu expressed confidence in Boston’s public security planning for large-scale occasions in remarks made to reporters on Wednesday, however acknowledged that “the unexpected can always happen.”
