New York Mayor Adams and New York City Police Commissioner Tisch held a New Year’s Eve security press conference at Times Square on December 30th. Adams announced that this year’s New Year’s Eve festivities will see a comprehensive upgrade in security arrangements. For the first time in the viewing area, a “second security check” will be implemented. A dual-layer enforcement strategy combining ground patrols and aerial drones will be put in place to ensure the safety of visitors from around the world as they welcome the new year.
Currently, law enforcement and intelligence agencies have not identified any specific or credible threats targeting the Times Square New Year’s Eve event. However, New York City remains in a “high-threat environment” and the city government is taking a proactive and forward-looking approach to deploying police forces, rather than responding passively to emergencies. Adams stated, “We must remain vigilant at all times, which is why this year’s deployment scale and level are higher than last year.”
The city’s police department pointed out that thousands of officers will be mobilized for New York City’s New Year’s Eve, making it one of the largest and most complex public safety operations globally. In addition to deploying a large number of uniformed and plainclothes officers, counter-terrorism units, explosive ordnance disposal teams, K9 units, heavily armed officers, and mounted police will also be deployed as special operations units.
The biggest new measure this year is the introduction of a “second security check” within the viewing area during the New Year’s Eve event. The police department will deploy mobile security check teams to patrol the audience area and conduct on-the-spot inspections upon detecting suspicious behavior or items. Authorities stated that this measure has been adjusted based on recent trends in large-scale events and terrorist attacks worldwide.
Furthermore, this year, the police will also increase the number of security personnel at the main entrances on 6th and 8th Avenues to strengthen crowd management, reduce entry wait times, and minimize safety risks from overcrowding in the entrance areas. The city government emphasized that the combination of entrance controls and internal patrols is an important adjustment to this year’s security strategy.
In terms of enforcement, the city government emphasizes the implementation of “ground patrols combined with aerial dual-layer enforcement”. In addition to ground patrol officers, the police will deploy helicopters and drones for round-the-clock surveillance, with real-time video feedback to monitor the situation on-site. Adams acknowledged that drones have become a new challenge for public safety globally, but New York has fully integrated related technologies into its enforcement system, stating, “We have enforcement capabilities on the ground and in the air.”
Regarding traffic and crowd control, the police department announced several road closures and control measures. 7th Avenue, Broadway, and surrounding streets will be closed in stages starting from the early morning of December 31st, with some sections fully prohibiting vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the afternoon. The viewing area is expected to open at 3 p.m., and once people enter and leave the viewing area, they will not be allowed to re-enter. Authorities urge the public to use subways and buses to get to Times Square.
The police also reiterated that several items are prohibited from being brought into the viewing area, including large backpacks, coolers, alcoholic beverages, chairs, umbrellas, laser pointers, and drones, among others.
Adams concluded the press conference by thanking law enforcement personnel and city officials for sacrificing their holidays to safeguard the city’s security on New Year’s Eve. He expressed that ensuring the safety of residents and visitors as they ring in the new year on the eve of leaving office is his “greatest honor”.