The countdown to the new year is less than a day away and already area police are putting a plan of action in place to ensure safety.
TRAVERSE CITY -- It's not quite New Year's Eve just yet but already downtown Traverse City is buzzing with people ready to ring in the new year. In fact, Traverse City Police expect more people to be in the area this year because of the Cherry-T-Ball Drop that's scheduled for Thursday night.
"We'll have two officers on foot patrolling the 200th block for that time period. From 9 p.m. until three in the morning we'll have one extra road patrol to supplement the night shift. After that the two guys get done on the foot beat downtown, they'll also help with the patrols for bar close," says Captain Morgan with the Traverse City Police Department.
Captain Morgan says New Year's Eve is usually a busy night for the police department, but with the new event downtown that means an increased need for safety.
"Because of the anticipation of a large crowd of people for that event, we thought it best to have a couple of guys on foot to monitor that," says Captain Morgan.
The police plan to keep extra patrols out around the Traverse City area until early Friday morning.
"We want people to have a good time, know their limits but we're hoping that people put a plan in place. If they plan on going out and consuming alcohol they they have a way to get home safely and that's by a driver that hasn't been consuming alcohol," says Captain Morgan.
If you don't follow these basic guidelines...a police car could be your new year's ride.
"Know your personal limits and not consume so much that you would do something that you wouldn't normally do. If that's breaking the law, then you end up dealing with the police," says Captain Morgan.
