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From the bright lights of Times Square to the capitals of Europe, and at football stadiums from Florida to California, revelers won't be the only busy people this New Year's Eve.
Police and security officials will be out in force across the globe Thursday, less than two months after terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif., amplified normal concerns about potential terrorism.
A recent "National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin" said: "Though we know of no intelligence that is both specific and credible at this time of a plot by terrorist organizations to attack the homeland, the reality is terrorist-inspired individuals have conducted, or attempted to conduct, attacks in the United States this year."
That includes emphasis on big public events that are constantly under threat, including college football bowl games and the annual mass gathering at Times Square in the heart of New York.
When the lighted ball drops at midnight to usher in 2016, it will hover over an area patrolled by 6,000 New York police officers, and thousands of others will be scattered across the Big Apple, officials said.
"Come on down," said New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton, speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "We're going to have the best party in the world."
Rooftop snipers, canine units and air and water patrols will also be deployed around Times Square in what New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called "the best prepared city to prevent terrorism and to deal with any event that could occur."
Echoing officials in other cities, de Blasio said: "There'll be obvious security measures you will see, and a number of measures you won't see. What we can assure you is that preparations are extraordinary."
Security warnings have been issued for other major events Thursday, notably a series of college football bowl games. Those include the two NCAA college football championship semi-final games — one near Miami and the other in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — as well as the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
Spectators are being warned about aggressive bag checks. They will be allowed to carry only clear plastic bags into stadiums.
Johnson said government officials are sharing intelligence information with the NCAA and other organizations that are sponsoring major sporting events, including professional football and basketball leagues.
Major cities beyond New York are on alert. Celebrants in Las Vegas, some no doubt betting on the games, are being encouraged to leave bags, backpacks and strollers at home for celebrations on The Strip and in casinos.
Security is also tight in the nation's capital, Washington — and in cities worldwide, especially in Europe.
Officials in Brussels have canceled  their annual New Year's Eve fireworks display. Police and army patrols have escalated in Brussels since the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris that involved attackers who had lived in Belgium.
Paris canceled a fireworks display during its traditional holiday street party along the Champs-Elysées. Amid heightened security, a light and sound show at the Arc de Triomphe will be cut from 20 minutes to 10 in an effort to avoid large crowds gathering for too long a period.
"We decided to mark the coming of the new year with sobriety and remembrance," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo told the Journal du Dimanche. "We won't let (the attacks) affect us."
Across the English Channel, about 3,000 police officers will be on duty in central London for a New Year's Eve celebration that includes a fireworks display. People without tickets will not be allowed to enter the area.
"Our policing plan remains under constant review, and the public can expect to see additional police officers in central London, which includes an increased number of firearms officers," said Superintendent Jo Edwards, a Scotland Yard spokesperson. "Our plans are purely precautionary and not as a result of any specific intelligence."
In Turkey, state media reported Wednesday that police detained two suspected Islamic State extremists over reports of a planned suicide bombing during New Year's Eve celebrations in the capital city of Ankara.
Tight security has become as much a part of New Year's Eve as champagne. In late 1999, just before the turn of the century, federal officials broke up what became known as the Millennium Plot, a series of attacks that was to have included a bombing at Los Angeles International Airport.
Security ratcheted up even more two years later in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.
Officials in Hawaii are also keeping a close watch on this as President Obama vacations with his family in his native state.
After a Dec. 17 briefing with counterterrorism officials, Obama asked all Americans to be vigilant during the holiday season: "If you see something suspicious, say something to law enforcement."
Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon of The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News