Security increased at popular Columbia event after deadly New Orleans New Year’s attack
Security is being increased at Columbia’s weekly downtown market and craft fair, Soda City, following a deadly vehicle attack in New Orleans that killed 15 people on New Year’s Day.
“We did take a look and we did deploy some larger vehicles for this past Saturday,” said Columbia Special Events Coordinator Harold Reaves.
Soda City is a weekly street fair held every Saturday on Columbia’s Main Street. The event draws up to 7,000 visitors on a regular Saturday, and up to 10,000 if there’s a special event, according to its organizers. The market, which takes over several blocks of Main Street, features food trucks, local musicians and an average of 200 vendors each week.
But with so many people on Main Street at a time, the city of Columbia and Police Department are looking for ways to make the large gathering of people less vulnerable to attacks like the one in New Orleans.
“We would be irresponsible as an agency if we don’t look at these national events that happen,” said Columbia Police Department spokesperson Jennifer Timmons. “We don’t have the mindset of ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen here.’ We always have to plan ahead.”
Around 3:15 a.m. on New Year’s Day, a man drove a pickup truck through the famously busy Bourbon Street in New Orleans as crowds were out celebrating the holiday. The truck made it almost three blocks before crashing, killing 15 people and wounding more than 30 on its course.
Vehicle attacks like the one in New Orleans are a growing concern for law enforcement and security officials. In 2021, six people died during a Christmas parade in Wisconsin when a man drove his SUV into the crowd. More than 70 others were injured in that attack.
The Columbia Police Department always provides security for Soda City and any other special event that takes place in Columbia. The department will be the lead agency overseeing the annual King Day at the Dome event Jan. 20, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, for example.
But in light of the New Orleans attack, the police department has reviewed its security protocols for all special events. This means depending on the crowd size, how high-profile special speakers are and other factors.
For Soda City, Columbia has purposely placed large trucks, like fire trucks and garbage trucks, at both ends of the weekly street fair. This approach is called “target hardening,” Reaves explained. The purpose is to “harden” the perimeter of the event, making it more difficult for vehicles, or dangerous individuals on foot, to enter the event space.
The city also utilizes what it calls the “Real Time Crime Center,” which allows officers to monitor security camera around the city and track suspicious activity in real time.
“Even before this event occurred in New Orleans, we were actually looking at the overall operations of Soda City,” Reaves added. “As far as logistics and operations, we just look at it from week to week, because the footprint either expands or it shrinks.”
Reaves said the department also plans for how to provide security for special events sometimes months in advance. And after each event, those involved participate in debriefs to identify ways to improve security further.
“We’re always going to over plan, we’re not going to take anything for granted,” Reaves said.
This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 5:30 AM.
