TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — In just three weeks, Gasparilla will draw thousands of people onto Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa. Security will be a concern for many following Wednesday’s troublesome events in New Orleans.

It may be a New Year, but criminologist Alex Del Carmen said threats to our cities and neighborhoods aren’t going anywhere.

“We are in the business of trying to predict the very thing that most people could not imagine,” Del Carmen said.

The chaos in New Orleans was just that.

“It was the most bizarre thing, you know, like the least expected thing,” said a witness at the French Quarter.

15 people are dead and many more were injured after authorities say Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street.

“The guy in the pickup truck just punched the gas and mowed over the barricade and hit a pedicab passenger,” the witness said.

Think about any weekend on 7th Street in Ybor. Or on Bayshore Boulevard during Gasparilla. Barricades and police are there, but will it be enough? Del Carmen said we need to think about if our own sidewalks can be weaponized.

Reports out of New Orleans said the barriers malfunctioned, and Jabbar breached the sidewalks to get through.

Del Carmen said having that video before hand could have made a difference, and sends advice to agencies everywhere.

“I would say to improve on the communication, to continue to be vigilant, and to get the public involved. The public plays a crucial role in these attacks whether to prevent them. Or to respond to them quite quickly,” Del Carmen said.

At the time of this article’s publishing, the City of Tampa’s website does not have updated safety tips for Gasparilla. It is expected to be updated in the coming weeks.