Nuisance party violations increase during 'calm' Welcome Weekend
Main St. sits empty on Aug. 26, 2018.
As impossible as it might seem, this year's Welcome Weekend was even less active than last year's, and the numbers can prove it.
According to a press release from the Mount Pleasant Police Department, the amount of citations and arrests given out for violating city ordinances during Welcome Weekend fell dramatically, with most violations occurring at half the rate as the previous year. The numbers were recorded between the night of Thursday, Aug. 23 and the morning of Sunday, Aug. 26.
"(The activity) was well below what we normally would have," said David VanDyke, MPPD public information officer. "There was one larger party that needed to be broken up, but for the most part people seemed to be abiding by the 'nuisance gathering' ordinance, keeping things small and under control."
This year, the MPPD recorded four arrests or citations for disorderly conduct, six for minor in possession, 43 for hosting or attending a nuisance party, 24 for open intoxicants, three for operating under the influence and three for violation of controlled substances.
While the occurrence rate for most violations fell by about 50 percent from 2017, some show an even larger drop, like MIPs, which fell from 40 in 2017 to six this year, and open intoxicants, falling from 64 to 24.
One number that didn't decrease, but rose substantially, was the rate of arrests and citations for attending/hosting a nuisance party, which saw 43 violations this year, several times higher than the 12 reported in 2017. VanDyke, who was one of about two-dozen MPPD officers patrolling on Saturday night, credits this to officers being able to focus more on parties that violate the nuisance gathering ordinance, as the rates for other crimes were down this year.
The push for heavier enforcement of disruptive parties comes directly from Mount Pleasant City Manager Nancy Ridley.
“We are proud to be home to Central Michigan University — the students are a great asset to our community and the energy and diversity they bring strengthens the city as a whole,” Ridley said in a press release. “The students are also city residents, and all residents are expected to uphold our community standards, which include respecting your neighbors and taking care of each other to ensure Mount Pleasant continues to be a safe and desirable place to live and visit.”
The CMUPD also saw a drop in violations since last year, said Lt. Cameron Wassman, though not as drastic as the MPPD.
Between Thursday and Sunday, CMUPD recorded four arrests or citations for disorderly conduct, three for MIPs and two for violation of controlled substances.
One person was arrested for damage to property for kicking side-view mirrors off of cars in Lots 52 and 46 on campus, Wassman said.
All violations were down from last year, most noticeably MIPs, which fell from 17 in 2017 to three this year.
