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NYPD all set for New Year's Eve

Published:Monday | December 31, 2012 | 12:00 AM
In this December 31, 2011 file photo, heavily armed police officers stand guard during the New Year's Eve celebration in New York's Times Square. The New York City police use an array of security measures for the event that turns the 'Crossroads of the World' into a massive street party in the heart of Manhattan. - file

NEW YORK (AP):

When revellers pack Times Square for the annual New Year's Eve celebration tonight, police will observe a tradition of their own: giving them lots of company.

Each year, the New York Police Department (NYPD) assigns thousands of extra patrols to the festivities, in ways seen and unseen, to control the crowd and watch for any signs of trouble. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world are expected to pack into the streets in Midtown Manhattan to see the crystal ball drop and ring in 2013.

"We think it's the safest place in the world on New Year's Eve," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told The Associated Press ahead of the holiday.

Security in Times Square has become an obsession for the NYPD in the post-September 11, 2001 world, especially since the botched attempted car bombing there in the summer of 2010. More recently, details emerged in another case in Florida saying that one suspect considered Times Square as a potential target.

"Times Square is an iconic location that draws a significant number of people every day," Kelly said. "New Year's Eve is the apex of that, so we have to plan accordingly."