Gulf Shores weighs $205,000 vehicle barrier system to protect crowds at special events

Update (Sept. 28, 2026): The vehicle barrier purchase went to the Gulf Shores City Council for formal action at its 4 p.m. regular meeting Monday, Sept. 28, alongside a Faro 3D crime-scene mapping camera for police and a contract of up to $1.1 million to replace the city’s Kids Park. A full rundown of the agenda is in the new section at the end of this article.

GULF SHORES, Ala. — Gulf Shores police want a portable vehicle barrier system that can quickly put a secure line between crowds and traffic at the city’s festivals, parades and other large gatherings, and the City Council is set to weigh the cost this week.

A proposal to buy an MVB3X vehicle barrier system for up to $205,000 is on the agenda for the council’s work session on Monday, Sept. 21. According to city documents, the Gulf Shores Police Department is requesting the equipment to protect the city’s many special events from what the agenda describes as “aggressive vehicle threats.”

The council is expected to discuss the purchase at the work session, with formal action scheduled for its Sept. 28 meeting.

What the vehicle barrier system would do

The agenda item says the system would allow police to create “a nearly impenetrable closure of up to 10 lanes of travel,” improving public safety either on short notice or during planned special events.

That flexibility is a key selling point. Rather than relying on fixed concrete barriers, heavy trucks or patrol cars parked across roadways, the MVB3X is a modular system that officers can set up where it is needed and pack away when an event ends.

The staff recommendation calls for council approval in an amount not to exceed $205,000.

How the MVB3X barrier works

The MVB3X is made by Advanced Security Technologies LLC, a company based in Closter, New Jersey. According to the manufacturer, the system is built from individual units that weigh about 53 pounds apiece and can be assembled, operated and dismantled by one person.

The company says a single unit can be connected to another in about a minute, and a fully assembled section can be moved into or out of a traffic lane in roughly 10 seconds. That means a barrier line can be opened to let emergency vehicles through and then closed again quickly.

The manufacturer sells the barriers in packages sized to the job, ranging from 20 units covering up to about 2.5 lanes to 72 units covering up to 10 lanes. The 10-lane figure matches the capability described in the Gulf Shores agenda item.

The barriers also use what the company calls an open-structure design. According to the manufacturer, that design is intended to keep an attacker from using the equipment as cover or concealment, a concern that solid barriers can create.

The company markets the system to law enforcement, emergency management agencies, fire departments, the military, public works departments, stadium and venue security teams and corporate clients.

Paying for the barrier purchase

According to the agenda, the $205,000 is available in the city’s capital expenditures transfer account for items not budgeted in 2026. If the council approves, the money would be moved into the police department’s capital line.

The agenda also identifies the manufacturer as a sole source vendor, meaning the city considers it the only supplier of this particular product. Alabama’s competitive bid law allows local governments to make certain purchases without formal bidding when an item is available from only one vendor.

The purchase would not require new taxes or fees, based on the financial information listed in the agenda.

Why cities are investing in portable barriers

Vehicle attacks on crowds have prompted police departments across the country to rethink how they secure parades, festivals and street events.

In Waukesha, Wisconsin, a driver plowed through the city’s Christmas parade in November 2021, killing six people and injuring dozens more. In the months that followed, the Waukesha Common Council approved the purchase of MVB3X barriers, a roughly $800,000 investment paid for with federal American Rescue Plan dollars, to protect its parades, summer concerts and Fourth of July celebration.

On New Year’s Day 2025, a man drove a pickup truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, killing 14 people. That attack, just a few hours’ drive from the Alabama Gulf Coast, renewed attention on how tourist-heavy cities protect pedestrians during major events.

Smaller cities have followed suit. In March 2026, the City Council in Addison, Texas, approved an agreement to purchase MVB3X barriers for up to $99,934, along with a separate rental agreement, to protect its special events.

A busy events calendar in Gulf Shores

Gulf Shores draws large crowds throughout the year for festivals, concerts, holiday parades and beach events, many of them held along busy roadways near the public beach.

The city’s largest fall event, the annual National Shrimp Festival, is scheduled for Oct. 8-11, 2026, at the Gulf Shores Public Beach at the intersection of Alabama 59 and East Beach Boulevard. The four-day festival features dozens of food vendors, arts and crafts booths and live music on multiple stages.

Events like that one routinely require police to close or restrict traffic lanes near crowds. The agenda item notes that the police department is seeking the barriers specifically to protect “the numerous special events throughout the city.”

It is not yet clear when the equipment would be delivered or which event would be the first to use it if the council approves the purchase.

What happens next

Here is the timeline for the proposal:

• Monday, Sept. 21: The Gulf Shores City Council discusses the purchase during its work session.
• Monday, Sept. 28: The council is scheduled to take formal action on the request.
• Cost: Not to exceed $205,000, drawn from capital funds not budgeted in 2026.
• Vendor: Advanced Security Technologies, the MVB3X manufacturer, listed as a sole source vendor.

City staff has recommended approval.

Gulf Shores City Council meetings are open to the public. Agendas are posted in advance on the city’s website, where residents can review the full text of items before each meeting.

Residents who want to weigh in on the purchase can attend the Sept. 28 meeting or contact their council members before the vote.

Also on the Sept. 21 Work Session Agenda

The vehicle barrier request was one of several public safety, recreation and business items the Gulf Shores City Council was scheduled to review at its Monday, Sept. 21, work session at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Alongside the barrier system and proposed updates to beach parking ordinances and resolutions, the agenda included:

• Crime scene mapping camera: Authorization to purchase a Faro 3D crime scene mapping camera, intended to give investigators detailed, precise documentation of scenes.
• Kids Park project: A design and scope-of-work proposal from Leathers & Associates for the city’s upcoming Kids Park project.
• Beach services franchise: A franchise agreement renewal for Suncoast Beach Services, Inc., extending through Dec. 31, 2028.
• Winter entertainment: Performance contracts for the 2027 Winter Entertainment Series.
• Alcohol license: An ABC transfer license application for Sea N Suds.

The work session also included individual council member updates during the discussion period, featuring Councilman Stephen E. Jones, and updates from the mayor before adjournment. Items reviewed at a work session typically come back to a regular council meeting for formal action.

Sept. 28 agenda: Barrier, crime-scene camera and a $1.1 million Kids Park

The Gulf Shores City Council’s regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, was scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Gulf Shores City Hall, with Mayor Robert Craft and council members addressing a slate of public safety and recreation items.

Vehicle barrier system

The council was set to consider the resolution to buy the MVB3X Vehicle Barrier System from Advanced Security Technologies, LLC. The purchase is a sole-source buy capped at $205,000. Because it was not in the original 2026 budget, it would be paid for through a capital transfer to the police capital line item.

3D crime-scene mapping camera

Council members also were to review a proposal from Faro Technologies, Inc., for a Faro 3D Crime Scene Mapping Camera System for the police department. The draft resolutions listed two different totals, $73,500 in one section and $75,300 in another. Both versions referenced an unbudgeted 2026 capital transfer to the police capital account. Systems of this type use laser scanning and photography to create detailed, measurable three-dimensional records of crash and crime scenes.

Kids Park replacement

On the recreation side, the council was scheduled to vote on a contract with Leathers & Associates to build the replacement Kids Park, with a cap of $1,100,000. To pay for an improved surfacing option and line the funding up with the construction timeline, the city planned to reduce the 2026 capital budget allocation to $250,000 and put the remaining $850,000 in the 2027 capital budget.

Other items on the agenda

• An invocation by Todd Forrest, lead pastor at Anchor Point Church.
• Approval of minutes from the Sept. 14 regular meeting and Sept. 21 work session.
• Review of city expense vouchers.
• A proclamation designating October 2026 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
• A public hearing on an ABC restaurant retail liquor license application from SNS Operations LLC for Sea And Suds Restaurant at 405 East Beach Blvd.
• Resolutions amending the Controlled Parking Resolution and the Municipal Code of Ordinances regarding parking.
• Performance contracts for the 2027 Winter Entertainment Series totaling up to $56,000.
• An ordinance granting Suncoast Beach Services, Inc. a two-year nonexclusive franchise renewal for beach equipment rental concessions through Dec. 31, 2028.
• Reports from council committees and city staff, and an open hearing for residents not on the formal agenda.

Related coverage from South AL News

• Gulf Shores Weighs $46,000 Sponsorship to Revive Zydeco & Crawfish Festival in 2027
• Gulf Shores Approves Plate-Based Resident Beach Parking, Adds Exemptions for Part-Time Property Owners
• Gulf Shores Kids Park Redesign Approved: $1.1 Million Inclusive Playground to Start Construction in 2027
• Gulf Shores Pedestrian Bridge Opening Delayed to March as Council Weighs $1.28 Million Plaza Work