The New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced Monday that police were continuing to operate under a “heightened threat environment” ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations in Times Square.
More than 1 million visitors are expected to take part in the 120th tradition of watching the New Year's ball drop in Times Square on Tuesday.
This year, more than 600 new NYPD employees will begin their first shift Tuesday night. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said during a security preparedness press conference on Monday that there is currently no credible threat to the Times Square event, but that police have not received any “threats” since the one-year anniversary of the Times Square event. He said he was operating in a “heightened environment.” October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
New York City has seen large-scale demonstrations against Israel, including encampments, anti-Semitic chants and clashes with police, as seen at Columbia University and New York University earlier this year.
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“We remain vigilant,” Tisch told reporters. “The public can expect a huge amount of police resources to be deployed across the region and across the city, including members of some elite specialist forces, including emergency services forces. Our K-9s will be strategically deployed on rooftops throughout the region. The team will take to the skies with bomb-sniffing dogs to monitor the skies, paying special attention to bridges and other landmarks. They will monitor crowds in real time and watch for suspicious or unusual activity.”
Last year, the NYPD deployed about four drone teams within the “bow tie” and “frozen areas” around Times Square on New Year's Eve. NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry said the number of drone teams will increase to six this year (four on the inside of the bow tie, two on the outside), and will also include mobile drone teams in Manhattan and other parts of the city. It added that it will operate around the area and monitor activity in the skies. Same goes for water.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks at a press conference at City Hall on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, after meeting with incoming “border czar” Tom Homan. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
A reporter at the press conference asked the NYPD whether additional security measures were being taken in Times Square following the suspected terrorist attack at a Christmas market in Germany last week. A Saudi psychiatrist has been arrested in connection with a December 20 car crash into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five people, including a 9-year-old boy, and injuring more than 200 others. It has been reported.
“Every year, we base our planning on events that are happening around the world and here in our city,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner. “Christmas Markets – Despite reports of a terrible incident involving Christmas markets in Germany – Christmas markets are a persistent and high-risk target, and frankly New Year’s Eve celebrations around the world. That’s why we is very focused on Christmas markets.'' All the resources here are focused on keeping this city and this event safe, so they fit perfectly with what's happening overseas. I'm doing it. ”
“I'm very confident it's going to be a safe and enjoyable night for everyone,” Weiner said, citing precautions in place for vehicle crashes, including an NYPD truck and cars blocked off at the scene. added.
People participate in a New Year's Eve confetti test in Times Square on December 29, 2024 in New York City. On New Year's Eve, 3,000 pounds of confetti will be thrown into Times Square. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The NYPD was also “called upon to address an emerging threat from a Venezuelan gang known as…” Torren de Aragua (TdA). Weiner said there were no specific gang-related threats related to the Times Square incident, but that TdA's issues are “a huge part of the crime problem that we're very good at throughout the year. It's just a problem that we're persistently working on.”
“Our detective bureau, our patrol bureau, our bureau has done a tremendous amount of work in terms of intelligence and counterterrorism,” she said. “This is an issue that we're working on, and it's not unique to Times Square on New Year's Eve. But again, some emerging threats, emerging crime patterns. We didn't have some of the gangs entrenched in this city like we've seen in other places around the country because we tried to fight tooth and nail from very early on.”
The NYPD will also use pickpocket teams and “hotel response teams” to monitor suspicious activity and other “unusual” events.
Aerial photo taken in Times Square on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2023. (Craig T. Fluchtman/Getty Images)
Tisch said all manholes, mailboxes, vending machines and trash cans in the “freeze zone” around Times Square have been sealed or removed, and a freeze safety lane with roadblocks and concrete barriers will be set up around the event. He said it would be established.
“And as always, there will be a lot of invisible safety measures,” the police chief said. “No one handles large-scale events like this better than the NYPD. But of course we're not doing it alone. The Joint Operations Center works with all city, state and federal partners. fully activated.”
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Amid a series of high-profile subway crimes and murders — most notably the acquittal of Daniel Penny and the arrest of an illegal immigrant accused of setting fire to a sleeping woman — New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City police officials still urged the crowd to use public transportation. Join us for New Year's Eve events in Times Square. Despite rain forecast, NYPD officials said umbrellas would not be allowed inside the viewing area. Rucksacks, large bags, coolers, chairs, and alcoholic beverages are also prohibited.
