New York’s finest will be keeping a watchful eye on New Year’s revelers this year… from about ten to thirty feet above ground. According to the Associated Press, about 7,000 police officers will be on duty for Monday night’s festivities in Times Square, including counterterrorism teams with long guns and bomb-sniffing dogs. Police cars and sand-filled sanitation trucks will be positioned to stop vehicles from driving into the crowd. But for the first time ever, the NYPD will be employing drones to aid their efforts to protect all those freezing their butts off waiting for the ball to drop.
“That’s going to give us a visual aid and the flexibility of being able to move a camera to a certain spot with great rapidity through a tremendous crowd,” Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said. Police Commissioner James O’Neill said there are no known, credible threats to the city or the New Year’s Eve event. He encouraged spectators to remain vigilant and to alert officers if they suspect something is awry. “There’s probably going to be a cop within 10 feet of you,” Miller said. “If you see something, you can go right to them directly.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio stated that they’re expecting “up to 2 million people in Times Square itself” for the ball drop, repeating a figure often cited by city officials, organizers and television broadcasters. Crowd-size experts say it’s impossible to cram that many people into the area, a bow-tie-shaped zone running five blocks between Broadway and 7th Avenue, and that the real total is likely fewer than 100,000. No matter how many people actually show up, they’ll all be screened with metal detectors at security checkpoints and funneled into penned off areas to prevent overcrowding.
Umbrellas, backpacks and coolers are banned, and alcohol is strictly prohibited, which might be for the best. There aren’t any bathrooms, and anyone leaving the secure area won’t be allowed back to their original spot. So wait till you get home and thaw out before popping the Champagne cork.
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