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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- White Plains public safety officers will be out en masse as thousands trek to the city for a New Year's Eve ball drop and other celebrations.
Public Safety Commissioner David Chong said there will be a "large contingent of public safety personnel" working Saturday evening and Sunday morning both in plain clothes and in uniform. Specially trained police will be using radiation detectors and "terrorism spotters" as well. Chong would not say how many extra officers were scheduled to work this weekend for security reasons.
"We have a lot of personnel on the street depending on crowd conditions and everything else the personnel are deployed accordingly to what the street supervisors are looking for," he said. "That's just part of what we do every New Year's after Sept. 11."
White Plains public safety officers will be communicating with New York City police and Metropolitan Transportation Authority police throughout the evening as well.
"We will know whats going on in New York City and New York City will know whats going on up here. We have also made contact with and will be coordinating, if we need to, with county police, the state police, and our neighbors in Greenburgh," said Chong.
Chong said White Plains and several neighboring communities will have officers watching for those who might be driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. However, he said White Plains was lucky to have a mass transportation system and the "Safe Ride" program as an option for Westchester residents looking for a free, safe ride home.
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