STATELINE - Law enforcement officials will arrive in force at Stateline on New Year's eve to control an expected record crowd of South Lake Tahoe party people.
Douglas County Sheriff's Lt. Ross Chichester said law enforcement officers from Nevada and California have been working on joint operation since January of this year.
"On both sides there will be more than 100 officers," he said. "We are expecting the crowd to be 50,000 at least."
A total of 350 officers - not counting support staff - will be on hand, predicted Douglas County Sheriff Ron Pierini.
"Everybody in Douglas County will be working," he said. "Nobody has the night off."
About eight reserve deputies from Carson City will be part of the force.
The estimated number of participants in the New Year's Eve celebration is double the normal crowd, Pierini said.
With such a large crowd in such a small space, extra provisions have also been made for emergency medical personnel. Earlier this week the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors allocated $100,000 to bring five additional ambulances and their staffs to the state line for the millennium celebration.
"We wanted a more fully staffed ambulance service during that period," County Supervisor Dave Solaro said. "With the traffic and all the people, it's basically a safety issue."
The ambulances will be at South Lake Tahoe from Dec. 30 through Jan. 3.
Chichester said most of the safety concerns stem less from hotel and local party goers than out-of-town college-age people.
"Our ultimate goal is to provide the best safety for all the people in attendance," he said. "Just have a good time, but let's keep it safe."
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