Commanders say they have prepared for possible terrorist attacks and potential breakdowns if computers go haywire when the new century begins, in addition to the normal huge crowds in places like New York's Times Square. Sioux County Sheriff's Office Los Angeles Police Department Michigan State Police Detroit mayor outline's city's plans for Y2Kice Seattle Police Department In the District of Columbia, edgy police will be manning nearly 150 intersections and federal lawmen will be doing electronic sweeps of national monuments to make sure bombs haven't been planted. And, in small Sioux County, Iowa, apocalyptic Sheriff Jim Schwiesow has called on the gun-toting folks in his community to keep their weapons ready just in case the dreaded Y2K computer glitch triggers chaos and things get out of hand. We would be less than responsible if we didn't take some precautions. No Such Thing as Doomsday .
Nobody is a crystal ball reader.
The big question is going to be whether one or three percent of the imbedded chips fail. If one percent fails, it's a bump in the road. If three percent fail, it's a serious problem. Emergency centers activated In addition, most state and local governments will be opening special emergency management centers, staffed by police and agency officials, in order to respond to any emergency. For example, Massachusetts's Judge said the state Emergency Management Center will be activated on a 24-hour basis at 8 a.m. Dec. 31 with representatives from 60 to 70 state agencies on hand receiving field reports from 100 different Massachusetts towns and cities.