Security Is Up as 2003 Winds Down

Extra tight security turned Times Square into a fortress Wednesday night as hundreds of thousands of revelers celebrated New Year’s Eve with cheers, confetti, fireworks and a tribute to American troops in Iraq.

At midnight, as the countdown ended and a huge crystal ball reached bottom, a blizzard of multicolored paper tumbled over the crowd. People kissed, sang, danced, shouted, waved and wished each other happy new year as 2004 was born.

As the crowd celebrated, seven police helicopters circled over the Great White Way and marksmen watched from rooftops. Celebrants were filtered through metal detectors as they made their way to Times Square, and special law enforcement teams with equipment to identify biological, chemical or radiological weapons were added to the massive security screen.

The number of uniformed police and plainclothes officers was increased from previous New Year’s festivities, though the Police Department declined to give specific figures.

“We are going to err on the part of over-caution,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said. “The NYPD is on top of things. They have been planning for months.”

Pasquale J. D’Amuro, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in New York, said that four times as many bureau personnel as usual were working in the office’s operations center while hundreds of other agents stood by or were on duty -- some in Times Square or in squads designed to evaluate terrorist threats.

“We’ve pulled out all the stops,” D’Amuro said.

New York was not alone in its nervousness. Increased concern about terrorist attacks led authorities to ramp up security at heavily guarded sites across the country. The national terrorism alert remained at orange, its second highest level.

In Las Vegas, 2,000 officers -- almost the entire police force -- worked on New Year’s Eve, backed up by 6,000 corrections officers. Airspace over the Strip was restricted. Military aircraft enforced a 10-mile no-fly zone around the city.

Sharpshooters were posted on casino rooftops, and police were routinely searching bags and backpacks.

Special Agent Todd Palmer, a spokesman for the FBI in Nevada, said although no specific threats had been received, many covert security measures would not be evident to the public.

The Federal Aviation Administration set up a 20-mile boundary for private aircraft around New York City -- with military air patrols on duty to keep away violators.

Air security was a sensitive subject in New York. Twice in recent days, the body of a dead stowaway was discovered in the wheel well of a passenger jet that landed from overseas at Kennedy International Airport.

And last weekend, the pilot of a single-engine plane circled the Statue of Liberty before he was forced to land at an airfield on Long Island by a police helicopter. The FAA is investigating that incident.

In Boston, guards and bomb-sniffing dogs rode buses, subways and trains as 2004 approached, while police in Chicago increased their presence at airports, downtown nightspots and other sensitive locations.

“We have hundreds of extra officers. We have canceled days off,” said Dave Bayless, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department. “It’s a combination of New Year’s Eve and the Orange Alert.”

Seattle activated its SWAT, harbor and bomb squads and increased the number of uniformed and plainclothes officers at festivities. San Francisco also had a large security component on duty, but Dewayne Tully, a police spokesman, said the Police Department had not mobilized extra manpower.

“To the public, it will look low key. We are not in a riot mode or in a war mode, but we are out there in force,” Tully said.

Police in Washington, D.C., also strengthened patrols on New Year’s Eve.

Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, urged people not to travel to Times Square for the traditional descent of the 1,070-pound crystal ball, signaling the start of 2004.

“If, normally, you go to Times Square, I wouldn’t do what you normally do,” Shays said Wednesday, citing the danger of injuries from panic if there was an incident.

His statement brought a tart reply from Bloomberg.

“I think the congressman is wrong,” the mayor said. “You are going to see a million people here.”

An important part of New York’s celebration was a tribute to American troops in Iraq.

Former prisoner of war Shoshana Johnson, a specialist with the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company who spent 22 days in Iraqi custody after an ambush, was an honored guest. Johnson received the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Prisoner of War Medal. She has since left the service.

At a news conference with Bloomberg at her side, Johnson confessed to nervousness at the prospect of joining the mayor in pressing a small globe that would start the ball’s descent high above Times Square.

“This is an unbelievable honor. I do have butterflies,” she said.

In Times Square, Stacy Stephenson, a 21-year-old business student from Leeds, England, wore a red hat with “Happy New Year” in black lettering. She said she was looking forward to seeing the ball drop.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said, looking at the big, brightly lit signs, hotels and office buildings. “It’s just amazing, really surreal.”

Nearby, Rainer Dammers, 35, a manager at a software development company who traveled from his home in Connecticut to welcome the new year, also dismissed fears of terrorism.

“Basically if you just hide away and be afraid of terrorism, that’s exactly what they try to achieve, and they’ve won,” he said.

Times researchers Lynn Marshall in Seattle, John Beckham in Chicago and Times staff writer Elizabeth Shogren in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.