Times Square getting ready for New Year’s Eve revelry

Times Square prepares for New Year's Eve revelry

Times Square is being readied for the traditional New Year's Eve countdown and celebration with thousands of police and security personnel to be deployed to thwart a repeat of a bombing attempt last May. A huge crowd that could swell up to a million people is expected to converge on Broadway and Seventh Avenue for the annual countdown into the new year and watch the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball drop from the top of One Times Square building. New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said that the police force is busy putting up a "counterterrorism overlay" in the area. In addition to visible uniformed police officers, undercover cops will also be deployed along with 1,200 new police recruits. Cameras, radiation detectors, observation posts and helicopters will also be fully utilized, the police chief said in a press conference yesterday. "We always do things a little bit differently," Kelly said. "We don't want to get stuck in a rut, so some of our deployments will change." He downplayed any kind of attack on New York City. "I think it will be a safe and happy event," Kelly said. Faisal Shahzad, a Pakistani immigrant, was behind the botched bombing of Time Square on May 1. He later pleaded guilty and is now serving a life sentence. In a statement, the police department said they will not allow backpacks and alcohol in Times Square. The area will be closed to traffic at 3 p.m. and revelers are urged to take public transportation. A few subway entrances will be closed and some trains will skip 49th Street and 50th Street stations until New Year's Day.

Posted by Kade Quinn on Friday December 31 2010, 10:14 PM EST. Ref: Bloomberg. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0