IVI-- Pk-tf- 9--!A- #%A A lftg%'g The Mic nian iy - mn-eaa,_eruary_1,_ i__FiAFOCUS When bars close in Ann Arbor, the city's men and women in blue still patrol the streets in and around campus. The Michigan Daily recently accompanied AAPD and DPS officers on their rounds to find out what it takes to ... 01 0 T rAit =Z. Thaa.vmwmjJ amd %T4ozR1 Eac'hui The continuous crackle on the radio can quickly turn from good-natured joking to an emergency call or notice of a high speed pursuit. While residents and students are cozily tucked away in their beds late at night, the work of the Ann Arbor Police Department and Department of Public Safety is just beginning. A typical weekend night for local officers ranges from issuing routine traffic tickets to settling violent con- frontations. The Daily recently traveled with DPS and AAPD officers during their weekend rounds in Ann Arbor. 7 pim.Officers meet in the briefing room to go over the day's news, including outstanding warrants, infor- mation on upcoming departmental jobs and training ses- sions. "Every shift is allotted up to half an hour with the sergeant," said AAPD officer Elizabeth Majewski. "They update officers as to what has been going on throughout the day -problem areas to be aware of." DPS officer Michelle Phelps said the briefings are essential to efficient policing of the community. "The briefings update the officers on what has been going on before they started their shifts," Phelps said. "If there is a pattern of thefts or assaults, we can be aware and know what to keep an eye out for." 30 minutes later: After the briefing session concludes, officers perform a routine check on the vehicles and equipment they use during patrols. The on-duty officers' check lists range from accuracy of radar units to an inventory of proper emergency supplies. "Basically, we run through a list of materials that may be needed during the night," DPS officer Ty Chatelle said. "We have to be prepared for all types of situations." Captain James Smiley, who heads the DPS Detective Bureau, stressed the importance of officers being pre- pared for surprises during the night. "Just recently up at Ohio State, two officers respond- ed to a break-in and went to investigate the scene. One of the officers was shot and killed," Smiley said. "It's not something you want to think about, but we have to be ready in today's world for any type of situa- tion that arises, no matter how dangerous," he said. 8 p.m.: Officers adjust the radio station settings and get on the road. Both AAPD and DPS are equipped with radio dispatch that informs officers of ongoing situations that need police intervention. AAPD and DPS beats are divided along Main Street into four sections of the city. However, officers do not have specific routes on their beats, nor are they restricted from entering an area separate from their assigned section. In the early evening, while driving through Ann f . Arbor's westside, AAPD officer Majewski turns on the radar but keeps it set on hold. At the push of a button, she can time a car's speed down to a split second. "I'll give people 15 (miles per hour) over before pulling them over, but it's different for everyone. Lots of it depends on what is going on," Majewski said. "It depends on what the weather is like - the nicer it is, the more people who are out." Majewski's first stop of the night is a vehicle with no headlights. After pulling over a vehicle, the officer reads the license plate number to an AAPD dispatcher to check if the car is stolen. Then, the officer collects the driver's license and registration. The license is run through the Law Enforcement Information Network to check for warrants on the driver. Afterward, the officer notes in her logbook that a stop was made. "Tickets can be kind of expensive - forgetting your headlights doesn't justify a $75 ticket," Majewski said. "The great thing is you have a lot of discretion when you make a decision." DPS DPS follows the same procedure when stopping dep a vehicle. DPS officer Phelps stops a vehicle with a bro- ken taillight during her rounds and lets the driver off with a warning. "Generally, I don't give tickets unless it's a serious offense. That way the people aren't angry at us, but at the same time he or she will be more careful next time," Phelps said. "We don't want people to hate us, but at the same time it's important to protect the safety of others." On some occasions, aggravated motorists will insult an officer when they are pulled over. "I've had people scream and yell and call me every- thing," Majewski said. "(But) just because they act like a jerk, doesn't mean I'll give them a ticket to get even." 9 p.m.: As the AAPD officer drives through the com- munity housing projects, several small children approach the AAPD squad car - they all ask for stickers. "These kids live for (the junior officer) stickers," Majewski said. "We've got coloring books and they love it. By passing out these things (the children) aren't always thinking we're always the bad guys, taking peo- ple away. "During the day we can't get the car turned around before we're mobbed by kids," Majewski said. During the evening, officers drive through the projects and check for unfamiliar cars and anything else out of place. 9:30 p.m.: An elderly man approaches the squad car to request a ride home. He has walked a good distance from his residence and is lost. AAPD officers know the man and usually take him home, Majewski said. After dropping the man at his house and asking him to stay home, Majewski returns to checking the projects. The night is still fairly calm and Majewski parks her car in a parking lot off of Main Street to watch for speeders. "The word has gotten out that you're not going to be able to speed on Main, because AAPD will be all over you," she said. When AAPD officers shoot radar guns, they are directed to two or three cars at once and give a median reading for the group. DPS, however, does not own radar guns, but instead paces vehicles to check their speed. "Looking at the pack, you can tell when someone is going 15 ULPARK/ Dailymph over the limit," Majewski ice Academy on said. "You can't solely go off Ann Arbor community. radar - you use your training to listen to the Doppler pitch." JOSH BIGGS/Daily Officer Andrew Kozol stands outside the Department of Public Safety's Church Street office. Kozol drives one of the artment's police cruisers, but DPS officers also patrol the streets on bikes and rollerblades. After less than 10 minutes, Majewski times a truck going 21 mph over the speed limit and instructs the dri- ver to pull over. "I look up a lot while I write the ticket," Majewski said. "That way I can keep an eye on how much moving their doing. If they're ducking down they are probably hiding something or trying to hide something." Although Majewski only writes the driver a ticket for 15 mph over the speed limit - the actual 21 mph over is noted on the back of the ticket. If he decides to fight the ticket, the judge will see that he has already had a break by not being written up for the full amount, Majewski said. "I don't mind when people fight tickets," she said. "If they think I was wrong, then I have no problem letting a judge decide." 11:50 p.m.: Dispatch requests back-up W AAPD cruisers for a domestic assault situ- ation on the 1500 block of Pauline Street. Three single units arrive on the scene at the apartment of a man who has had pre- ftpe viously been on probation for possession of weapons. After pounding on the door and win- dows for several minutes, the officers ask the manager to open the door. He brings a crowbar in case the keys don't work. As the door opens, the officers draw their guns. When the officers find the man, he is asleep in his bed- room at the back of the residence. The radio was turned on, and he said he never heard the officers knocking or shouting. Police learn that the assault started when the couple began to argue in their home. The female suspect, who allegedly had bitten her husband on the arm, was taken into custody and spent the night in the Washtenaw County Jail. Shortly before 1 a.m.: DPS officer Chatelle arrives at the Diag Party Shoppe on State Street to escort a man to police headquarters on the accusation that he stole $10. "Generally these cases can take a few hours to inter- view both the victim and suspect," Chatelle said. "Hopefully, witnesses will step forward and the process won't be (time consuming)." The suspect is later released after being questioned by DPS officers. 1 a.m.: Stadium Drive is quiet, which indicates the west side of the city is "dead," Majewski said. "The bars are pretty well packed right now," she said. "We watch the bar area to make sure (intoxicated indi- viduals) don't get into fights." As the west side of the city sleeps, officers begin to move to the downtown area of Ann Arbor as bar-hop- pers make their way home. 1:20 a.m.: Driving through downtown Ann Arbor to watch for crowds, officer Majewski stops to check on an accident to which another AAPD officer is attend- ing. The driver in the accident alleges a man had jumped onto the hood of his car and punched the windshield. 1:30 a.m.: Majewski pulls over a car on State Street for having a broken taillight. The driver is given a $25 ticket for not wearing her seat belt because she already received an earlier ticket that evening for the taillight. These two offenses are Majewski's biggest pet peeves, she said. A few minutes later, dispatch requests three AAPD cruisers to go to the Clarion Motel and follow up reports of gunshots there. Earlier in the evening, AAPD officers had issued a warning for excessive noise to party-goers at the motel. Driving 90 mph down Jackson Street, Majewski is the third car to reach the scene. AAPD officers have checked inside the hotel while the other cars circle outside. Everything appears to be in order and the officers Shae tleave the area. 2:25 a.m.: AAPD and ired for all DPS officers both have to write reports for the o Qf situations.iffincidents that took place on their shifts. - Ty Chatelle "All the reports are DPS officer based on if there is pri- ority to them or not," Majewski said. DPS spokesperson Elizabeth Hall said there are advan- tages to contacting DPS for minor incidents instead of a major police department. "Currently we have 71 students working for DPS," Hall said. "They are really an invaluable group of indi- viduals who help assist in minor cases such as jumpstart- ing a car or giving a ride home to residents. "They allow the minor cases not to interfere with the police officers when there is an emergency." LSA senior Julie Finn said DPS has helped her sever- al times. "A couple times I locked my keys in my car or needed a jumpstart and they were there to help me out," Finn said. "I don't think enough students know about the DPS personnel and how they can be helped if they're in some sort of trouble," she said. 2:50 a.m.: The squad car is filled with gas at the city gasoline station and then returned to the station for the next patrol at 3 a.m. 0 0 01 Ueutenant Jack Coo addresses concerns at the Citizens' Pol Tuesday evening. The program bridges police officers to theA Academy teaches citizens police skills, responsibilities Dy Alit K. Thavarajab Daily Staff Reporter By overseeing a crime scene investigation or learning defense tactics to fend off poten- LSA senior Eryn Smith, who graduated interaction." from the academy this past December, said Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon said the he was surprised by the program is success- activities in the pro- ful despite some ill The Citizens' Police Academy curriculum consists of 13 programs ranging from crimi- nal law enforcement, firearms and domestic violence cases. Currently, there are 25 par- and learned more in the three-month session than I did working at DPS," Smith said. "They put you in realistic police situations where you had to make decisions in a split second." 77 - -*- --- -- .- -_-1-1 - !...I 4-- I