San Francisco plays it safe for New Year’s Eve

More San Francisco police officers will be patrolling the streets on New Year’s Eve, city officials said at a Friday press conference.

Police Chief Bill Scott said there will be no discretionary time off for police officers on Sunday, and that the public will see a heavy presence of police officers during the many events in The City, including the city-sponsored fireworks show along The Embarcadero:

“We will be very, very heavily deployed on New Year’s Eve.”

While there are no significant changes to the department’s New Year’s Eve plan, Scott said the department will deploy more resources on Sunday night.

Scott said there are no credible threats to The City, but a Modesto man was arrested last week, accused of planning an attack at Pier 39 on Christmas. The FBI prevented the attack after a two-month investigation into Everitt Aaron Jameson.

Jameson was charged with attempt to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Jameson was denied bail at a federal court hearing on Thursday.

The public will see a heavy police presence along Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39 on New Year’s Eve, said Scott:

“It’s important that they see officers out there, but there will also be officers that you will not see, because we will also have a plain clothes presence there as well.”

The City will also be working with state and federal partners, including with the FBI.

Acting Mayor London Breed said she wants people to take advantage of the free public transportation options on New Year’s Eve starting at 8 p.m.:

“We don’t want people drinking and driving. Use our public transportation system.”

Muni, AC Transit, SamTrans and Caltrain will provide free service from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said the emergency operations center will be activated on New Year’s Eve, where multiple city agencies will coordinate together on Sunday night.

Hayes-White said the Fire Department will be paying close attention to illegal fireworks going off around The City:

“If you want to see fireworks, go to the show along The Embarcadero and leave it to the professionals.”

The public can stay informed with any emergency alerts from The City on New Year’s Eve by texting NYESF17 to 888-777.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.