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New Orleans, Louisiana August 27, 2020 – The French Quarter Management District (FQMD) released today the French Quarter Physical Security Assessment. To further FQMD’s mission to identify and implement strategies for improving public safety throughout the French Quarter, the board of commissioners engaged Interfor International to conduct a physical security assessment. Interfor International is a global investigation and security consulting firm offering comprehensive domestic and foreign intelligence services. Interfor’s methodology for a physical security vulnerability assessment was to observe and analyze areas of potential and/or actual vulnerability, to define causes, and to recommend means to reduce or eliminate exposure.
The French Quarter physical security assessment endeavored to review the current security and safety infrastructure in the French Quarter, as well as the need, cost, and effectiveness of the French Quarter’s multiple security efforts and resources. Over six dozen French Quarter stakeholders and law enforcement officials were interviewed by Interfor over nine months. The study provides actionable recommendations around how to most effectively and efficiently deploy these resources moving forward.
Board Chairman Christian Pendleton said: “The French Quarter Management District saw the need to bring in a third-party security expert to assess the French Quarter because numerous law enforcement entities were working autonomously in the neighborhood. FQMD recognized these inefficiencies were a major concern of all stakeholders involved. This third-party security expert made recommendations for improvements that are effective and found efficiencies that could be attained. This assessment shows that FQMD has run a transparent and effective Supplemental Police Patrol Program and that the structure of a unified plan for security in the French quarter moving forward should build upon that success. FQMD will continue to work for the safety of our owners, residents, employees and visitors of the French Quarter.”
Executive Director Karley D. Frankic said “We are proud of the work our commissioners and volunteers have put into our programming, including the Supplemental Police Patrol Program a.k.a. the French Quarter Task Force. A key recommendation by Interfor is that ‘the FQMD’s Supplemental Police Patrol Program is a critical program, already well received by stakeholders, which should be expanded and reinforced to the extent financially feasible.’ Public safety in the French Quarter is of paramount importance to all of the stakeholders in our District’”
The FQMD’s Supplemental Police Patrol Program (SPPP), proactively patrols French Quarter streets to help the NOPD deter crime. The SPPP patrols the French Quarter 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In 2019 alone, while conducting “blue light” crime deterrent patrols, SPPP officers:
- Responded to 6,271 Calls for Service
- Made 13,044 Citizen Contacts
- Performed 5,110Business Checks
- Made 222 Arrests & Apprehensions
- Wrote 1,060 Summons & Traffic Citations
- And Maintained 5 Vehicles that Patrolled 62,462 Miles
The security assessment provides both short and long-term solutions for security improvements in the French Quarter including:
- Interfor recommends consolidating the current sundry security services and using the resulting savings to address quality-of-life breakdowns and social programs which contribute to an unsafe atmosphere.
- Interfor agrees with the NOPD and most other respondents that increased patrols and community policing will be advantageous. Any effort to improve visibility and contact with the denizens of the French Quarter should be considered. Simply put, the highest priority must be placed on a larger NOPD presence in the French Quarter.
- Interfor strongly recommends bollard mobilization to be fixed/improved immediately. The NOPD is in the best position to oversee this measure.
- Interfor recommends barring firearms to within 50 feet of an ABO, which would effectively create a bubble around the Bourbon Street area and thereby facilitate the avoidance of potential violent incidents, which increase with the mixture of alcohol consumption and the presence of firearms.
The FQMD Board of Commissioners represent a diverse group of stakeholders who live, work, own property and/or businesses in the French Quarter, all of which are vested in protecting and improving the vitality, security and infrastructure of this gem of a neighborhood that supports the livelihood of our region’s residents, the City and the State.
The FQMD works to:
- Improve public safety, foster quality experiences, and enhance quality of life within the District
- Improve commercial and residential vitality
- Strengthen the District as a vital component of Louisiana’s tourism industry
- Aid in the preservation of the District’s architecture, quaint charm, and tout ensemble
- Beautify the District’s appearance