I have been to the New Orleans Convention Center a number of times.
Ironically, on several occasions this very Hall at the convention center has hosted security trade shows, featuring best practices and products used to protect public buildings (such as convention centers) from terrorist attacks and vehicle attacks. Despite this, the other night a very drunk driver in a Toyota Camry drove over two cheap bolt-down bollards and through the doors to the convention center, made a U-turn, and then drove back out a different set of doors. Very entertaining security video is available -- SEE VIDEO HERE
Public buildings that are this poorly protected make no sense. If you cannot protect thousands of attendees against drunk drivers in Camrys, how are you going to protect them from intentional vehicle attacks? Where are the designers? Where are the security consultants? And why are facilities not paying attention to such obvious problems?
These bollards would never pass the ASTM F-3016 test standard for protective barriers that was adopted in November -- which uses as a standard an impact from a 5000LB vehicle traveling at 30 MPH. These units crumpled from an impact from a passenger vehicle under 3,000 pounds going backwards and considerably less than 30MPH. Wrong device, wrong place.
They were very lucky that there were no people nearby at the time.
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