New Year’s Eve in New York City Thick With Security

A million people packed into Times square to watch the almost 12-thousand pound Waterford crystal ball drop, a display people come from all over the world to NY to see. About 6,000 uniformed and undercover police officers, 500 more than 2014, were expected to flood the area, with the force bolstered by mounted patrols, bomb-sniffing dogs, radiation detectors and hundreds of surveillance cameras. In the wake of recent terrorist attacks, 6-thousand police officers patrolled Times Square, including New York City’s Police Commissioner.

An estimated 1 million people are expected to fill the square, and they will be protected by an armada of 6,000 police officers – some in civilian clothes, many heavily armed – as well as rigid security screenings around the perimeter of the party.

With memories of the deadly attacks in Paris and California still fresh, police took extraordinary measures to ensure security at an event that has come to define the NY experience for many visitors to the largest US city. Heavily armed officers carrying tactical rifles stood on almost every corner for blocks as police helicopters buzzed overhead after checking in on other parts of the city, including the World Trade Center and Statue of Liberty.

The festivities also included musical acts by Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas and Carrie Underwood. “We have a constant threat analysis stream that we are constantly reviewing”. The unit is trained to detect and respond to attacks, such those in Paris that killed 130 people on November 13, or the rampage in San Bernardino, California, in which 14 were slain.

A man linked to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) was arrested Thursday on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on New Year’s Eve in Rochester, New York.

By early evening, crowds organized into neat pens formed by police barricades stretched for many blocks up Seventh Avenue and Broadway north of One Times Square.

Organizers of this year’s event have said that they want theme of this year’s event portray the “wonderment, fantasy and optimism that nourishes the seeds of knowledge and achievement”. “I’m not going to miss out on an opportunity”.

“I actually believe this is the safest place in the world”, said Eku Kabba, 27, who has made the trip from Gaithersburg, Maryland to Times Square for the last five years. Other officers searched bags, at random, in subway stations. She was celebrating her 39th wedding anniversary with her husband, Rob. Anthony Martins, 26, a strength and conditioning coach from Lille, France, said the long security lines were “frustrating, but we know it’s essential for us, so it’s OK”.