SAFE AND SECURE: Barriers in place to keep you safe during events in Fort Myers

DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS, Fla. — Following the attack on New Orleans, Fox 4 Senior Reporter Kaitlin Knapp went to the City of Fort Myers and the police department to see what barriers are in place to keep you safe.

With Art Walk and the Seafood and Music Festival, roads will be shut down and barriers will be up.

"They are designed to stop a vehicle from plowing into a crowd. Bottom line, that's why we got them," said Kristin Capuzzi with the Fort Myers Police Department.

She's talking about the barriers called meridians, which she says you may see more of this weekend following the attack. You will also see new security towers the department just received.

"We do have the heightened awareness when something like this does happen," Capuzzi said.

With the goal of keeping you safe.

Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson says the CRA bought the barriers more than a year ago for about $500,000.

"We chose to go with these because you can move them around," Anderson explained. "The bollards, they're stuck in that location."

Think of bollards as pillars. There are some in downtown Fort Myers on Edwards Drive that are in the ground under a metal flap.

Anderson says over the years, the city has paid attention to what's happened around the country and have worked to be proactive.

Since the mass shooting at Zombicon in downtown Fort Myers in 2015, the department has continued to improve safety measures.

"From Zombicon we were able to get the city view cameras in place," Capuzzi said.

"We learned through Zombicon years ago. It was chaotic, it was the first one we dealt with," Anderson said.

Florida Gulf Coast University Forensic Studies professor Dr. Dave Thomas says there's only so much that can be done to prevent an attack like New Orleans.

"You want people to have fun, but you also want them to be safe, there’s no other physical barriers. There’s nothing else that we have that is out there," he explained. " They have to control people’s entry and create the barriers in order for them to make it uncomfortable for them [an attacker] to even try."

Thomas says the barriers, however, will likely dissuade someone from committing an attack.

At other events, like the Festival of Lights parade, there are more safety measures taken.

"If you're looking at the parade route, we use Lee Tran buses, we're using garbage trucks, we're using all kinds of vehicles to block those intersections," Anderson said.

That, along with precautions you may not actually see.

"Safety and security of all of our residents and guests visiting the area — I mean, safety is our top priority," Capuzzi said.

She wants to emphasize that if you see something suspicious, say something.

Thomas says it also comes back to situational awareness. Know what's around you and when you're at an event, have a plan just in case something happens and you need to get out.

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