Why were officials so eager to publicize the security measures taken for the annual Times Square New Year's party? Talk about offering bragging rights, and a recruiting tool, to the bad guys!

The New York Police Department put the finishing touches Thursday on the "ring of steel" it uses to protect revelers: a security screen consisting of 17-plus miles of barricades; entrance point searches; video feeds; and uniformed officers spaced every few yards.

Police said the city wasn’t the target of a New Year’s Eve terror threat, but they had a strict security plan in place, with sealed manhole covers, counter-snipers on rooftops and checkpoints for partygoers.