NEW ORLEANS -- The buzz of the Big Easy was alive on Monday night, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles kicked off Super Bowl LIX festivities. So too was the presence of law enforcement, with hundreds of National Guard troops flooding the downtown area alongside local police in an unprecedented security team-up for the NFL's momentous week.
Visiting fans and night-prowling locals alike could hardly go a block in the Canal and Bourbon Street areas on Monday night without encountering huddles of state and federal troops, all of them armed with rifles, as well as area police officers. The different groups could be seen mingling at street corners, pacing sidewalks and manning road barricades, all while nightlife continued gently in their midst.
In total, more than 2,000 federal agents are working alongside the New Orleans Police Department, deploying roughly 350 National Guard troops throughout the city, according to WWL-TV. Police and sheriff's deputies from nearby areas are also part of the security operation, which is especially comprehensive in light of a New Year's Day terror attack that killed 14 people on Bourbon Street.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry recently declared the enhanced security zone for Bourbon Street and the French Quarter area, which includes armored checkpoints and mandated bag searches, will run through Feb. 10, the day after Super Bowl LIX.
"The level of cooperation between state, local and national law enforcement is something Louisiana hasn't seen in years," Landry told reporters.
