"It was a decent New Year's, but it took a million officers to make it so"

This quote by Zane Grey is likely referring to the amount of effort it took to make the New Year's event a success. It indicates that a great deal of hard work and devotion was put in by a large number of people in order to make the event satisfying and safe for everybody. It might also be interpreted as a commentary on the amount of authorities existence that was necessary to ensure the safety of the general public during the celebrations. The quote recommends that while the New Year's event was good, it took a lot of individuals working together to make it so. This could be viewed as a suggestion of the importance of cooperation and team effort in order to accomplish a successful outcome.