With all eyes on the ball drop at midnight, law enforcement has a different focus at big New Year’s Eve events.

As a precautionary measure, state agency staffing will increase and security augmented at airports, bridges, tunnels and mass transit systems.

Agencies include the New York State Police, New York Army National Guard, state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Executive Deputy Commissioner of New York State Division of Homeland Security Terry O’Leary has been working with agencies across the state, checking to see if there are any credible threats and assessing security concerns.

"The work that the state and our federal and local partners do to prepare for New Year's Eve starts months ago,” said O’Leary. "We did over 900 visits to sites throughout New York state. We also do visits to mass gathering sites such as stadiums, large parks or other areas to find security improvements that we can put in place before this big event."

According to Gov. Kathy Hochul's office, teams also assessed more than 200 infrastructure locations across the state, including stadiums and arenas, malls and shopping centers, colleges and universities, airports, transit hubs and other mass-gathering locations. Fifty-eight percent of the locations were new and not visited in previous years, an 18% increase from 2023.

“As we gather in New York City to celebrate the start of a new year, I’ve directed our State agencies to take all necessary steps to ensure that New Yorkers and visitors can celebrate safely and peacefully,” Hochul said in a statement. “Public safety is my top priority, and I am committed to using every tool at our disposal to keep you safe.”

Agencies are stationed across the state at mass gatherings beyond Times Square. State Police are at maximum staffing, monitoring mass-gathering sites and focusing on the roads to make sure riders are safe against impaired drivers.

Troops from Joint Task Force Empire Shield, the New York Army National Guard security force have also been hard at work. In New York City, troops were on duty over New Year’s weekend supplementing law enforcement at rail and bus transportation sites, LaGuardia and JFK airports and the New York Police Department.

"Pretty much if you're wearing a uniform and public safety, you're working tonight," said O'Leary. "But it's also very important that New Yorkers be vigilant as well."

Officials recommend downloading the See Something, Say Something app, known in the app store as "See Send," before heading out for the night. You can record pictures and send suspicious activity to a law enforcement team monitoring submissions.

"When you go out, know where you're going, know who you're going to be with and make sure that you have a plan of what to do if something were to occur," said O'Leary.

In addition to the app, you can also call the New York State Terrorism Tip Line at 1-866-SAFE-NYS. For immediate assistance, always dial 911.