Former King County sheriff discusses security lessons from New Orleans to Seattle

King County residents will most likely see more security moving forward after a terror attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day.

Former King County Sheriff John Urquhart joined “Seattle’s Morning News” Thursday to discuss the New Orleans police chief and how the mass murder will impact the Seattle area.

New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick once served as the Chief of the Federal Way Police Department and was also the Chief Deputy of the King County Sheriff’s Office, making Urquhart her coworker.

Urquhart believes Kirkpatrick has the right experience to lead the police department in New Orleans.

“She spent a lot of time working for the FBI, teaching professional standards to other police departments,” he noted. “So she’s got a fantastic resume, and I think she is the right person for that job in New Orleans because, boy, it’s a tough nut to crack.”

Related news: Seattle police likely to bolster security measures following New Orleans terror attack

Security personnel investigate the scene on Bourbon Street after a vehicle drove into a crowd on New Orleans’ Canal and Bourbon Street, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. (Photo: Gerald Herbert, AP)

‘We’re headed for the new normal’

Switching gears, KIRO Newsradio political analyst Matt Markovich noted Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said large-scale events will see a change in security measures and that bomb sniffing dogs will be part of everyday protocol going forward. Markovich asked if places like Pike Place Market and Seahawks games will also see a shift.

“Yeah, we’re going to need that,” Urquhart responded. “And a lot more. A lot of crime is people see what’s going on and it’s copycat, and it’s small crimes, and it’s big crimes.”

He highlighted marijuana shop burglaries and school shootings as copycat crimes.

“It’s just by the grace of God that it hasn’t happened here in the Northwest yet, but it certainly could,” Urquhart added.

KIRO Newsradio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan was at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and already noticed an increased level of security with people being lined up shoulder to shoulder and bomb-sniffing dogs circling them.

“We’re headed for the new normal,” Urquhart said. “There’s going to be, you know, more garbage trucks, more dump trucks surrounding these event areas.”

He noted how police changed their tactics after the school shooting in Denver in 1999 but there is more work to be done.

“We are good at good at changing,” he said. “Sometimes we should be better at anticipating.”

More on the attack: What is the Islamic State and was it behind the New Orleans attack?

“Seattle’s Morning News” Host Charlie Harger asked how does law enforcement really prevent a lone wolf attack?

Urquhart said it’s very difficult because that person is not talking to anyone about their plans.

“So all they can do is, is, hopefully, get some sort of kernel of information that’s going to lead them to a particular suspect that they can watch,” he said.

Harger also asked if Urquhart believes it’s time to close down Pike Place to car traffic.

“I think they should,” he replied. “The city should really consider that. I think that’s something that may have to happen. Any place where there’s going to be a lot of people congregating, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s New Year’s Eve at the Space Needle or Snowflake Lane over in Bellevue, in front of Bellevue Square, any of these places they have to be so cognizant of the latest terrorist type attack.”

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.