New Orleans PD Says Dept Ready For Sugar Bowl, Super Bowl-Level Security

Despite calls to further postpone the Sugar Bowl, the game is set to kick off in five hours ... and the New Orleans Police Department says they're confident the city will safely host the big game following the Bourbon Street terror attack which killed at least 14.

NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick appeared on the Today show where she was asked if her police force was ready for the Notre Dame vs. Georgia playoff game ... after some, including the state's Attorney General, called on officials to postpone the game.

"We are not alone," Kirkpatrick said. "We are in partnership with many other partners. Both local, federal, military, police will be here. We are gonna have absolutely 100's of officers and staff lining our streets, lining Bourbon Street, lining the French Quarter."

Kirkpatrick continued ... "We are staffing up at the same level, if not more so than what we were preparing for Super Bowl."

Mayor LaToya Cantrell also spoke today saying Bourbon Street will be prepared for full activation before game time today at 3 PM.

Of course, the Super Bowl is one of the most protected events in the world ... alongside events like the presidential inauguration. The Sugar Bowl doesn't typically receive that level of security -- but this year they will, given the horrific attack.

The game was already delayed once ... after the Sugar Bowl opted to delay kickoff, originally scheduled for Wednesday night, after the attack which claimed the lives of at least 14 people, with scores of others injured.