CMU Police: Bad weather, timing leads to fewer incidents on St. Patrick's Day

For police agencies, St. Patrick's Day at Central Michigan University was calmer than previous years.

According to reports provided by Central Michigan University police Lt. Larry Klaus, officers handed out two minor in possession tickets, and jailed one offender.

Last year, CMUPD handed out seven citations, and lodged two suspects.

Klaus said police anticipated decreased activity due to cold weather and the holiday taking place on the Monday after spring break.

“This weekend has been extraordinarily quiet," Klaus said. "We’ve had very few calls for service for that matter. We anticipate the weather may dampen some of the enthusiasm.”

Even though police weren’t expecting much activity compared to the past, they were well prepared. Campus police had the entire staff out on patrol during St. Patrick’s Day. Their focus was on residence hall activity, as well as people driving under drug or alcohol influence.

CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley said his department always plans for the worst, but knows what to expect after patrolling the streets on St. Patrick’s Day for several years.

MPPD makes its rounds

Mount Pleasant Police Department also saw a calm Monday evening. Although MPPD overall statistics have not been released, the amount of incidents was not significantly high, said MPPD Public Information Officer Jeff Thompson.

He said the weather and the holiday being on a Monday had a lot to do with the low numbers.

"When you look at the number of arrests we’ve made, it’s nothing that we haven’t dealt with in the past," Thompson said. "If you look back two years ago, when it was a 70-degree day that didn’t coincide with Spring Break, we were very busy.”