The attack in Berlin has police everywhere taking a close look at what can be done to protect crowds gathered on the street.
Around 10,000 people are expected in downtown Traverse City for the annual CherryT Ball drop on New Year’s Eve.
“We are going to beef up our presence down there, there’s going to be approximately 15 officers, there will be some sworn officers, some reserved, we’ll also have K-9 down there," said Captain Kevin Dunklow of the Traverse City Police Department.
They’ll also have downtown closed off to traffic. The department treats the ball drop as a Homeland Security Event. That means meeting with the county emergency manager and having a complete incident action plan in place. They also keep a close eye on what happens overseas.
“There’s nothing that says that couldn’t happen here in Traverse City. It’s a beautiful Up North town, but the fact of the matter is, stuff can happen anywhere and it’s our job and our responsibility to make sure that we plan to prevent that from happening,” said Dunklow.
Organizers of the CherryT Ball Drop spend months working with police to put a security plan in place.
“Of course everyone pays attention to internationally events, we’d like to think that we are different here but of course we have to think about those things and fortunately every year has been great. The ball drop is an incredible event of love and family and fun and cheer. The smiles on people’s faces are incredible even when it’s 11 degrees,” said Dean Rose of the CherryT Ball Drop.
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