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Police urge locals to keep heads on for New Year's
By Michelle Alaimo
Big party nights, for police, are generally no fun. That's why Sunnyvale police are gearing up to take extra precautions this New Year's Eve, and are hoping that millennial madness doesn't mean gunshots, drunken drivers and computer meltdown.
"I think we're going to have a lot more revelers out, and that will be the main issue this year," says Capt. Dave Lewis.
The celebrating mood is what police fear could turn quickly to tragedy.
"In past years, bullets have gone through ceilings and there have been people who were injured," Lewis says, adding that the Department of Public Safety has taken a zero-tolerance approach to people who ring in the new year by squeezing off a few rounds into the air.
Anyone who sees or hears gunshots should call 911, Lewis says.
Lewis says New Year's Eve is also one of the worst of the year for drunken driving. Lewis says revelers should enlist a designated driver to stay sober and get the rest of the group home safely.
Sunnyvale's department will have about 50 to 75 percent more personnel on duty this New Year's Eve.
Although that pesky Y2K bug has already generated its fair share of hype, Sunnyvale police and fire officials say it's not likely to have much of an impact on their department.
"We're prepared for anything, including power outages," Lewis says.
In the unlikely event of a power outage, Lewis says the department's greatest concern is traffic lights.
"If there is a power outage and stoplights are out, the lights must be treated like a four-way stop sign," Lewis says. "This means to come to a full and complete stop."
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
