Revelers on Times Square on Saturday night will be surrounded by about 7,000 police and massive sand trucks, as authorities seek to eliminate any possibility of a terrorist attack. With as many as two million people expected to turn out to watch the New Year’s Eve ball drop, police officials said they weren’t taking any chances after attacks in Germany and France that saw the attackers drive into crowds. Sixty-five sand trucks weighting 40 tones will be used to build a perimeter around the square, in addition to another 100 smaller vehicles, authorities said.
The city has also deployed bomb sniffer dogs, snipers, helicopters and heavily armed police units for the event, although New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill said earlier this week there were “no direct concerns” about about New Year’s Eve festivities. O’Neil promised that the city would have “one of the most policed, best protected events and one of the safest venues in the entire world given all the assets we deploy here.” Read more.
What a waste of our tax dollars. If these partiers want to enjoy themselves, let THEM pay for it by charging an admission fee, or getting donors to cover the cost. Why doesn’t the taxpayer have any say in these matters. Who gives the City the right to take our hard earned money and spend it on these childish frivolitys? Do we taxpayers, matter anymore?!