Officials in Salem, which regularly hosts crowds of up to 100,000 people during the month of October, said they were reviewing public safety measures in place in the wake of a terrorist attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people.
Throughout October, Salem draws visitors from around the world thanks to its history with witchcraft. As a result, city officials say it would be “short-sighted” not to consider it a potential target for political violence or terrorism.
Already, the police department and other law enforcement officials approach the month with that attitude, with several safety measures in place throughout October, the city’s mayor, Dominick Pangallo, and police chief, Lucas J. Miller, said in a joint statement. Among those safety measures are an extra police presence, rerouting traffic and pedestrian-only areas protected by concrete barriers.
Officials met Thursday, the day after the attack, to review their safety plans.
“The starkest lesson seems to be that while New Orleans enacted very similar measures to Salem to keep people on the street safe, the assailant was able to simply drive around barriers, either because mechanical bollards were out of service or because he drove on the sidewalk,” the statement reads. “Another lesson is that while Mardi Gras would be the most likely event for an attack in New Orleans, any well-attended event is a target.”
In the wake of the attack, Salem officials say they will install additional bollards to provide more security for pedestrian areas — a plan already in place before the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that the city now intends to accelerate. The city also intends to acquire more mobile vehicle barriers and concrete “Jersey barriers.”
Businesses and residents downtown are likely to see their space imposed upon more than prior years in 2025, as Pangallo and Miller say “planning for pedestrian-only areas will have to be more rigid and enforced more completely this October.”
The city also intends to reexamine police staffing levels in October, with Pangallo and Miller saying Salem may bring in officers from other municipalities and agencies. And, an outside specialist is set to review the city’s existing Haunted Happenings public safety plans.
“This conversation is not over, and we will continue to evaluate information from New Orleans to better learn from that terrible attack and improve on our own safety operations here in Salem,” the statement reads. “While we are thinking about Salem, today we also grieve with the City of New Orleans and with the families and loved ones of those killed.”
The attack along Bourbon Street in New Orelans killed 14 people, along with the driver, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who officials said was inspired by the Islamic State militant group. Jabbar was fatally shot in a firefight with police after steering his speeding truck around a barricade and plowing into the crowd. About 30 people were injured.
Authorities finished processing the scene Thursday morning, removing the last of the bodies. Bourbon Street — famous worldwide for music, open-air drinking and festive vibes — reopened for business by early afternoon.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
