The NYPD says it will surge additional officers into Times Square for the New Year’s celebrations on Wednesday and will conduct enhanced security checks as the city welcomes in 2026.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch joined outgoing Mayor Eric Adams in Times Square on Tuesday to lay out safety protocols ahead of the big ball drop. Tisch stated that thousands of police officers will be dispatched to the heart of the Big Apple to ensure that potential dangers are curbed.
“That includes officers from our specialized units, including the emergency service unit, canine, bomb squad, heavy weapons team, and harbor teams. Our helicopters and drones will also be deployed during the day to provide comprehensive coverage in real-time,” Tisch said. “We will also deploy dedicated pickpocket teams, response teams, and additional uniform patrols to address quality of life and public safety concerns. There will be assets that you will see and others that you will not see. The joint operational center will be fully activated with all of our city state and federal partners and personnel.”
The extra show of strength from the NYPD comes amid a heightened alert status over the past two years following incidents abroad, such as the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel and the massacre at a Hanukkah event in Australia earlier this month. Still, the NYPD says the increased presence is not in response to any particular or credible threat for the end of 2025.
In an effort to ensure the commemoration proceeds smoothly, the commissioner also announced that police will conduct additional security screenings after attendees have already entered the area.
“We’re going to be doing secondary screenings this year of people inside. So, we will have mobile screening teams walking around the fence if we see anything that looks suspicious. We will have teams in place to do appropriate screenings,” said Tisch, who is staying on as the city’s top cop as Eric Adams gives way to Zohran Mamdani as mayor on Thursday. “Secondary screening is new this year — we study what goes on around the world, so it’s basing what we’ve learned over the past year and what we’ve seen throughout the world in the terrorism space.”
Tisch also revealed that street closures around the Times Square area will begin around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, with 7th Avenue between 42nd and 48th streets being the first to be shut down to traffic. She also stated that those looking to watch the ball come down should take public transportation and will not be permitted into the viewing area until 3 p.m.
In his last few hours as mayor, Adams charged that he will have “zero tolerance” for protesters looking to disrupt the event.
“There will be officers in and out of uniform, keeping their eyes open. We’re going to do our part,” the outgoing mayor said. “While we acknowledge that the city will respect and protect people’s right to protest, we will have zero tolerance for interfering with the celebration tomorrow in Times Square or other disorderly behavior across the city.”
