Police gear up for for increased presence at tailgate, in community
Police are increasing forces Central-Western weekend in hopes of keeping the peace and preventing any incidents similar to last weekend.
Sixty officers are expected to be in the area from the Mount Pleasant Police, CMU Police and Isabella County Sheriff’s departments, said MPPD Public Information Officer Jeff Browne.
Three cars from the MPPD and 10 other cars were vandalized over Halloween weekend. A rock was thrown the window of one vehicle, while two others were dented.
Browne said a strong police presence is planned for the weekend to avoid any such incidents.
“The big thing is that there will be zero tolerance this weekend,” Browne said. “Be mindful of other people and their property and make smart decisions.”
The sheriff’s department will be bringing in seven extra deputies and three extra supervisors, while the normal shift provides three or four deputies.
CMU Police will have approximately 80 percent, or between eight and 12, of their officers on duty on Thursday through Saturday nights. CMU’s entire department will be activated at some point over the weekend and all officers will be on duty for tailgating Friday night.
“The incident that occurred to the city department has certainly gotten our attention,” said CMU Police Chief Bill Yeagley. “That’s not an acceptable behavior in our community.”
Undersheriff John Tellis said his department will be actively enforcing any and all liquor laws for minors and adults alike. Browne said they would also be policing the extra guests from Western and any disorderly conducts.
The increased presence has been in place long before Halloween weekend and is based on the reputation that Western Weekend carries with it.
“Western weekend has been historically a weekend where large crowds gather and drink alcohol to the point that they make decisions that result in violence, nuisance and other criminal behavior,” Tellis said.
