Boulder police ensure Pearl Street Mall safety following New Orleans truck attack
Jan 03, 2025
BOULDER, Colo. The New Year's Day vehicle attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans has created a heightened sense of awareness in pedestrian areas across the country, including in Boulder's popular Pearl Street Mall."You've got a lot of visitors, a lot of your normal pedestrians that live in the city of Boulder, as well as your downtown business partnerships," said Boulder Police Officer Jill Mahoney. It's Mahoney's job to patrol Boulder's iconic Pearl Street Mall. "We do have a main highway that comes through the Pearl Street area, which is our Broadway Street. So just making sure that we maintain compliance with pedestrian traffic is huge for us," explained Mahoney. In the aftermath of the attack, Denver7 asked the Boulder Police Department how it plans for the unexpected. "Those are things that are constantly going through our minds," said Mahoney. Walking along the four-block mall, Mahoney pointed out some prevention measures in place to protect visitors. "These are our permanent barriers. These are just for the day-to-day piece of our pedestrian traffic to prevent vehicles from coming through here," she said. "They're here if we need them, but we hope they're never utilized." In addition to the bollards, Mahoney said large planters are strategically placed down the strip. "While they're a part of making downtown beautiful, they're also additional barriers for vehicles and things like that," the patrol officer said. When Boulder hosts big events, such as the BOLDERBoulder or the Pearl Street Stampedes, additional barriers are brought in. While it's not something anyone wants to prepare for, it's a reality Mahoney said Boulder PD has to face. "It doesn't matter if it's New Orleans or if it's here in Boulder, which we've unfortunately seen that devastation, as well. But you know, our hearts and condolences go out to the 14 victims as well as those that were injured, and then the two officers that were injured while trying to continue to save lives," said Mahoney.