Police departments and emergency management agencies across the U.S. boosted New Year's Eve security measures on Wednesday as revelers gathered to ring in 2026.
The festivities are shadowed by the anniversary of an ISIS-inspired truck-ramming terrorist attack in New Orleans on Jan. 1 that killed 15 people and injured scores of others. Wednesday's celebrations also come two weeks after the Justice Department arrested four people linked to an alleged plot to detonate bombs in the Los Angeles area on the last day of the year.
New Orleans' downtown area will be patrolled by nearly 800 local, state and federal law enforcement officers, public safety administrators told reporters at a security briefing this week.
Louisiana National Guard members will help create an "enhanced security zone," with a focus on redirecting traffic and searching bags as crowds move through Bourbon Street and other densely populated parts of the city, the officials said.
"We're leveraging all of our law enforcement resources and public safety partners," New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said, adding that law enforcement officers were "absolutely taking in what we experienced almost one year ago."
"I believe that we've proven ... since that time, how we have gone the extra mile to ensure the safety again of our residents as well as our visitors," Cantrell said.
In Southern California, thousands of law enforcement personnel were working to secure the annual New Year's Day Rose Parade, according to NBC Los Angeles. L.A. County expects about a million people to descend on the city of Pasadena for the 137th installment of the parade.
"We have lots of folks that are going to be out here, some that will be uniform and others that you won’t be able to see," Pasadena Police Chief Eugene Harris told NBC Los Angeles, adding that officers will have a zero-tolerance policy for disruptive behavior along the 5.5-mile parade route.
The Los Angeles Police Department's media office did not immediately reply to a request for comment Wednesday. In a statement to Spectrum News, LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes said the department will have a "sufficient amount of officers in the city" to handle any threats.
New York City plans to send out "thousands" of police officers to patrol Times Square as the bustling tourist spot prepares for the New Year's Eve ball drop, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters Tuesday at a security briefing.
"We never tell you the exact numbers, but rest assured, the entirety of the New York City Police Department is going to be working between Dec. 31 and Jan. 1," Tisch said.
Tisch said the city did not have "any specific credible threats against" the festivities in Times Square.
Eric Adams, New York's outgoing mayor, said the sweeping deployment will include personnel from the city's intelligence and counterterrorism units, as well as officers in plainclothes, on horseback, on trains, in helicopters and on boats.
Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston are likewise ramping up precautions in the final hours of 2025.
Chicago's emergency management office is publicly encouraging residents to be "vigilant in crowds" and report suspicious activity by calling 911. The city is expecting a crush of spectators for a riverfront fireworks show at Navy Pier.
In response to a request for comment on the national security posture, the FBI said it "continuously collects intelligence about potential threats, and we regularly share information with law enforcement partners to assist in protecting the communities we all serve."
"The FBI encourages members of the public to be vigilant and report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement," the bureau added.
Increased security measures were put in place in other major cities worldwide.
Australia, for example, welcomed 2026 with an enormous fireworks display held under a ramped-up police presence, Reuters reported. The spectacle came two weeks after an antisemitic attack at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach in Sydney left 15 people dead and dozens injured.
The fireworks show's organizers held a minute of silence for the victims.
"After a tragic end to the year for our city, we hope that New Year's Eve will provide an opportunity to come together and look with hope for a peaceful and happy 2026," Sydney's lord mayor, Clover Moore, said before the event, according to Reuters.
