NEW YORK NOTES : Safety in Numbers

The safest place in Manhattan is the area surrounding Madison Square Garden. There are so many police on duty, that officers are even guarding the doorways of stores that sell explicit videos. All told, the convention is being protected by 2,400 uniformed officers, who are unfailingly polite. One delegate rushing to the convention Tuesday wanted to cross 7th Avenue against the light. With a big smile, a patrolman gestured him back. “We wouldn’t want anything to happen to you,” he said. “Besides, if you get hit, I will have a ton of paperwork to do.”