Police, organizers prepared for anything at First Night Raleigh
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- New Year's Eve night is already a night that has law enforcement out in full force. They're usually on the lookout for drunk drivers or partygoers getting out of hand. This year though, they'll also be keeping an eye out for possible protests.
On social media, many in bigger cities across the U.S. have been posting about planned protests for New Year's Eve. In our area at recent protests, we've heard rumbles of possible protests planned for New Year's Eve here.
First Night Raleigh is one of the biggest New Year's Eve events in our area with planners expecting more than 40,000 people to fill downtown Raleigh. Organizers say their security team is ready for anything just as they are every year.
For the past few months, we've seen protests erupt all over the Triangle in the name of Michael Brown and Eric Garner who were both killed during confrontations with police. Some protests have been peaceful, and others have ended in arrests. Examples of those include the protest at Southpoint in Durham and Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh. Protesters there pledged to disrupt the holiday shopping season, but now with the holiday shopping season nearly over, some have hinted New Year's Eve as a next target date.
"We've got your back when you're here," said Terri Dollar with Artsplosure, and program director with First Night Raleigh.
Dollar helps handle the big celebration that includes live musical acts, rides, the big acorn drop and all of the festivities from 2 p.m. through midnight. She said this year, like any year, they're ready for anything.
"The entire Raleigh Police Department is awesome to work with, and you will see so many police officers out here," said Dollar.
She said they also hire their own private security, and scattered throughout the crowd at all different venues will be 100 volunteers on the watch.
"One of the new things this year is that a lot of our site managers and zone managers are trained for this crowd management control," said Dollar.
ABC11 also reached out to the Director of Public Affairs for the Raleigh Police Department to ask if extra measures would be taken on their part. We were told, "In the best interest of public safety, the RPD consistently declines to provide information about security arrangements. However, I can say that the department always takes all available information into consideration as it makes its plans and ensures that staffing levels are sufficient to address any situation that might arise."
