WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A devastating New Year's Day terror attack in New Orleans is sending shockwaves through the country.
It has residents wondering about their safety and law enforcement increasing patrols.
"I don't want to stop my life, but it does make me nervous," said Melissa Breault, a pedestrian who was walking on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach on Thursday.
"We came to look at the Sandi tree, and then it floods me," pedestrian Hugh Gleason said. "This is kind of a place where that event happened."
WPTV reporter Michael Hoffman spoke to Dan Simmons, a former Green Beret and risk assessment expert, who is the co-owner of the Blag Flag Protection Group.
Simmons told Hoffman that popular public places like Bourbon or Clematis streets are difficult to protect. Unlike ticketed events like concerts, security and law enforcement can't control who comes or goes.
He said this is why upgrades to barriers are important, but the best defense is remaining aware of the situation.
"Everyone's hair on the back of their necks ought to start standing up (if they feel unsafe)," Simmons said. "We need to start taking action into preventing stuff like that. … It really boils down to the fact that we've let our guard down for too long in the United States. Most of the security measures that are in place, in my personal opinion, are the illusion of security and not actual security, and just the mindset of a lot of the normal everyday citizens of America, not really being, not having a vigilant approach to their daily lives, including when they're especially out in large public events."
With that in mind, Hoffman hit the streets with West Palm Beach's Deputy Chief of Police Tony Shearer to ask what he and the department have been doing in response to the attack.
"New Year's Day, actually, I was out riding with the officers and (asking), are we prepared? And the answer is yes," Shearer said. "The question: should the citizens have any fear? The answer is no. Here in West Palm Beach, it isn't a utopia, but we're constantly assessing. We learn from incidents like in New Orleans. We learn from incidents like the Pulse nightclub shooting (in Orlando). We're constantly assessing and learning how we can better harden our soft targets."
Shearer told Hoffman there are more bike patrols and uniformed officers around downtown, and there is also preexisting infrastructure like concrete barriers.
"What was learned is the fact that communication has to be in place," Shearer said. "You can't have a critical incident and think that you can establish lines of communication after the fact. Those lines of communication and the good working relationship, not only with business community, but with all the law enforcement partners have to be in place, and when you have that, that's what really enables you to tackle critical incidents like what's happened in New Orleans."
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The deputy chief said everyone has a major role to play. If you see something suspicious, say something.
"We always want our citizens to know, because we can't do it alone," Shearer said. "If things look out of place, if you see a suspicious character, if you see something that just piques your interest, we have, which is SaferWatch app, so please dial in. If you see something, say something because that helps us with connecting the dots."
Hoffman contacted county commissioners to see if any conversations regarding bolstered security at outdoor events are planned. He was told that none are planned as of yet, but that could change soon.
