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Times Square Ball Starts 2004 Celebrations

Posted on: Thursday, 1 January 2004, 06:00 CST

Nearly 1 million revelers rang in 2004 with the dropping of the traditional New Year's Eve ball in Times Square - a joyous, confetti-filled bash that took place under some of the tightest security ever seen.

With snipers posted on rooftops and helicopters patrolling overhead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and guest of honor, former Iraq prisoner of war Shoshana Johnson, pressed a small globe, sending the 1,070-pound crystal ball on a 60-second drop that culminated at the stroke of midnight.

"It was brilliant," said Tanya Starkin, a 23-year-old waitress from Ireland, as fireworks lighted up the sky. "Everyone was so worried about everything, and now everything is good."

The raising of the national terrorism alert to orange, its second-highest level, prompted cities across the country to step up police patrols, plan aerial surveillance and install equipment to detect chemical, biological or radiological contamination.

"Everything went off very well," New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said after the ball dropped. He called 2003 a good year: "Another year where we haven't had a terrorist attack here."

In Baltimore, Mayor Martin O'Malley led the countdown to midnight at the Inner Harbor, which was followed by 20 minutes of music and fireworks. In Boston, fireworks exploded over in the harbor and revelers tooted plastic horns on the Common throughout the night.

In New Orleans, an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 people watched the lowering of a giant, grinning papier mache baby in the French Quarter at midnight. Coast Guard helicopters patrolled the banks of Mississippi River.

In New York, police said more officers were on duty this year than last, though they declined to give numbers. Last year the department said it deployed 2,000 officers in Times Square alone.

Metal detectors were brought in, manhole covers were sealed, and mailboxes, trash cans and newspaper boxes were removed. Police had seven helicopters to patrol above the crowd, including one with communications equipment and crowd-scanning cameras. The Department of Homeland Security sent fighter jets over New York for the night.

Police said there were no reports of crowd trouble.

Many revelers in Times Square had more mundane concerns than terrorism. Akiko Shiraishi, 21, a Japanese student studying in South Carolina, said she and her friends were "much more worried about the bathroom" than security.

New York-born performer Cyndi Lauper took the stage to lead the revelers, many of whom were wearing bright orange hats and waving red balloons, in a sing-along of tunes from her latest album.

In Las Vegas, the FBI checked hotel and airline records against terrorist watch lists in advance of a New Year's Eve celebration expected to draw 300,000 people.

"People can take comfort that anything and everything that can be done is being done," said FBI spokesman Todd Palmer, who said checks had not turned up a specific threat against the city.

Las Vegas police said sharpshooters were posted on hotel-casino roofs, concrete barricades closed off certain routes and backpacks and bags were searched. Eight alcohol-related arrests were made.

The Federal Aviation Administration banned flights, except for scheduled commercial flights, over Manhattan and Las Vegas for several hours during the celebrations.

Crowds began gathering early Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif., for Thursday's 115th annual Rose Parade amid unprecedented security. Paradegoers staked out spots for a curbside sleepover as law enforcement officers - many of them undercover - fanned out along the route.

Tim Tussman, 46, of Grantsburg, Wis., brought his girlfriend, Becky Melin, 45, to see the parade as a belated birthday gift.

"It's an obvious target, but you hope they've taken all that into account," he said. "As a gardener, she loves flowers. We weren't going to miss it."

In raising the nation's terrorist threat level, federal officials said al-Qaida might be planning a major attack on large gatherings during the holiday season.

Denver called in off-duty officers to ensure celebrations did not get out of hand, especially at two fireworks shows on a downtown pedestrian mall. About 60,000 people showed up Wednesday night for the first show alone, said Michael Krikorian of the Downtown Denver Partnership, which helped organize the shows.

Officers across Colorado reported a calm evening. "I haven't had any calls on anything, so it must be pretty quiet," said Master Trooper Ron Watkins of the Colorado State Patrol.

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On the Net:

Times Square 2004: http://www.timessquarebid.org/new-year

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