Police strive to keep New Year's Eve celebrations safe in South Florida
MIAMI - Bayfront Park is getting the party started as we prepare to embrace 2025.
More than 100,000 people are expected for the celebration along with police officers implementing safety measures.
That includes the Lovelace family, which is visiting from Bradenton, and expects to be safe. They're looking forward to the celebration but they're also keeping their eyes open.
"You always have to watch out in a big crowd but no real real concerns or anything like that," Ryan Lovelace said.
Expect to see extra officers out tonight. Others you may not see as they're under cover, mingling in the crowd.
And in Miami Beach at Collins Park, you may see may see drones.
"We have about 13 drone operators that will be on duty and if need be will be ready to deploy," Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess said.
Security expert Stuart Kaplan, a former FBI agent , told CBS News Miami there's a lot going on behind the scenes.
"In a locale such as a major venue in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, there is going to be the deployment of advanced technology which will assist in physical surveillance of potential targets or individuals who are known to law enforcement," Kaplan said.
Bess said: "We also have about a 1,000 cameras throughout the city. We'll have personnel stationed in our headquarters monitoring those cameras."
And if you're heading into Miami Beach or some other cities, license plate readers are in place.
"We'll be able to assess every license plate coming into our city and if there's a wanted individual we have a dedicated group of officers that will be able to take care of that," Bess said.
Before big events like New Years Eve many police departments work with the FBI and federal partner for check for credible threats.
Agencies have said there are not creditable threats to the celebrations.
