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American Morning
Security at Tonight's Times Square New Year's Celebration
Aired December 31, 2001 - 08:38 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now back in the States, an untold number of security features are being put into place for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. So just how will tonight's celebration differ from the millennium celebration two years ago?
Robert Esposito from the Times Square Business Improvement District joins us now to talk about that.
Welcome and Happy New Year to you.
ROBERT ESPOSITO, TIMES SQUARE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT: Happy New Year and good morning.
HARRIS: Well how about that, can you give us some sort of a comparison between the precautions that were taken for the millennium that we all witnessed here two years ago?
ESPOSITO: Yes, you know the millennium celebration was a 24-hour celebration so the security features went on for a longer time, but much of the same kinds of things will be taking place. The litter baskets have been removed from the corners. The police have asked me this year to remind everybody not to come into Times Square with backpacks, duffel bags, large packages. And it's an alcohol-free event. They've confiscated alcohol in the past, and they intend to do that this year. They're going to be extremely vigilant.
HARRIS: You're not concerned then that the idea or the vision of snipers on the roof over the crowd may just sort of put a chill on the whole thing?
ESPOSITO: I don't know, I think that's part of being vigilant. That's what we want, people to know that they should feel comfortable into coming into Times Square.
HARRIS: OK. Well, I understand there was -- I saw a report earlier about the ball dropping was almost taken out of the celebration this time around, is that true? And if so, how close did we come to having a celebration in Times Square without the ball drop?
ESPOSITO: Yes, not true at all. We are going to be doing something different. At 6:00 p.m. we're going to have a special bell- ringing ceremony to honor the memory of the people that were lost at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon and on the four flights. But the ball coming down, that's part of what we do here in Times Square, that's what people expect.
HARRIS: OK, good deal. We had heard a report that perhaps at -- it was at one point being considered taken out of the celebration, but we can see now for sure it definitely is in.
ESPOSITO: No.
HARRIS: But let me ask you something about the timeframe you were given to work with these new precautions and the new things that you're putting in as security measures. You know it -- usually the Times Square celebration is something that is -- that's planned for over an entire year period. Here you've only had some four months between September 11 and today to actually come up with extra precautions. Do you think that was enough time to do all that? And can you give us an idea of what you actually had to do in those last four months?
ESPOSITO: Well, you're right. You know January 3 or 4, we're going to critique this year's New Year's Eve. Our staff will go over what we've done right, what we've done wrong. We did that last year. And then around September, we start having our first meetings with the mayor's office and the police department.
After September the 11th, New Year's eve wasn't on our minds. Truthfully, we weren't thinking about New Year's eve. We were like much of the country, we didn't know what happened. And then we heard Mayor Giuliani and we heard President Bush say live your lives as normal as possible, go about your business, and that's what we do here in Times Square. We know people will come here to celebrate the New Year. They've done -- been doing it since 1904, but we're mindful of what happened south of us down at the World Trade Center.
HARRIS: All right, we know you expect the people to come there. Any idea how many may actually show up? Are you expecting, perhaps, a record-sized crowd there due to the patriotic feelings that people are still feeling right now and wanting to come together here and show some camaraderie as well as celebrate?
ESPOSITO: Yes, we think that's going to happen. You know I'm the -- smiling because I'm the worst predictor ever. I predicted last year that the crowds wouldn't be many because of all the snow we had. And we had crowds that went on Broadway and on 7th Avenue from the ball all the way to Central Park from 42nd Street to 60th Street and then south to 34th Street, so I -- I'm terrible at it.
HARRIS: OK, then we won't put you on the spot. Robert Esposito,...
ESPOSITO: OK.
HARRIS: ... good luck. You know we'll be watching, and you know, hoping for the...
ESPOSITO: All right (ph).
HARRIS: ... very best there. We wish you the very best. Happy holidays to you.
ESPOSITO: And you, too, thank you.
HARRIS: All right.
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