JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As 2016 comes to a close, security is top-of-mind for many preparing to celebrate the start of a new year.
Crowds will pack into venues across the area Saturday night to ring in the new year, and law enforcement officers will be focused on keeping people safe.
There are no known threats against any specific locations in northeast Florida, but after an attack on New Year's Eve in Istanbul, Turkey, locals say they don't mind the extra security checks.
"Makes me feel safe," Kwinton Deramus, a Jacksonville resident, said. "I feel like they're doing their jobs and everybody's taking care of business."
For an event as big as New Year's, law enforcement said they conduct a lot of information gathering with local agencies to make sure no details are left unchecked.
"We take the same plan and we modify it from lessons learned from previous events and we also look at events that are occuring around the nation and things we can do to better protect the citizens here in Jacksonville," Jackson Short, Assistant Division Chief with JSO, said.
With fireworks over the St. Johns River at midnight, the Jacksonville Landing is slated to draw thousands of New Year's revelers. St. Augustine Beach is also expected to be busy for Beach Blast Off, with fireworks over the ocean near the pier at 8:30 p.m.
“It won’t be too much different than it is from the big cities, even though we have not had a major attack here or any type of terrorist event here,” News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said.
Smith said security will be heightened across the country and on the First Coast.
All bags and purses will be checked at the entrances to the Landing, and only those over 21, active military or people with TaxSlayer Bowl patches will be allowed inside. Uniformed and plain-clothed officers will be mixed into the crowds, taking every precaution to keep people safe.
Police said their biggest concern is someone bringing a gun to the event.
“That’s going to be something we look for, and there will be consequences to that, so it’s important that anyone who has those types of items, they leave them at home or in their vehicle," Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Assistant Chief Jackson Short said.
Smith said the best advice for those heading out Saturday is to have fun but be aware of your surroundings. Officers count on the public to alert them if something doesn’t seem right.
“That’s the big message all around the country, not just in Jacksonville,” Smith said. “If you see something, say something. Law enforcement, they don’t mind. If it turns out to be nothing, that’s fine. In fact, they kind of encourage that, just so they know that citizens are being alert and they are watching.”
Smith said anyone who sees something suspicious and needs a good way to report it can visit iwatchNEFLA.com.