Atlanta will be packed for New Year's Eve and police will be out in force to make sure everyone stays safe. Atlanta Police Sgt. Gregory Lyon tells WSB up to 200,000 people are expected to be in the area to ring in the new year.
"Starting around 4 o'clock, we're gonna have some street closures around the Peach Drop area and then starting at 5 o'clock we're gonna have checkpoints set up for all the pedestrians coming into the area on foot," said Lyon.
"We'll be setting up checkpoints. People coming into the Peach Drop area - bags and whatnot will be checked. Things like backpacks, coolers, alcoholic drinks, weapons, even your pets, bikes, skateboards, those types of things, lawn chairs - they're not going to be permitted inside the pedestrian area we're gonna block off," said Lyon.
"We're gonna have a lot of uniformed officers. There will be a lot of off-duty officers, there will be a lot of officers all over the place," said Lyon.
Lyon says revelers should consider alternative forms of transportation such as MARTA because of the street closings.
If you do decide to drive though, Lyon says be smart.
"Even though crime is down six percent this year, thieves are gonna target people, especially with smart phones. Make sure your cars are cleaned out. Don't leave electronics, valuables, GPS units, even change in your console," said Lyon.
Lyon says officers patrolling outside of the downtown area, will be looking for those who may want to ring in the new year with celebratory gunfire.
"You can't discharge your weapon. Celebratory gunfire is illegal in the city of Atlanta. But the bigger issue is the fact that when the bullets go up in the air, they fall, and they can injure and even kill someone," said Lyon.
Lyon says if you hear gunfire, don't hesitate to call 911.