Policing game day: Emergency calls up, but major problems few for Michigan vs. Michigan State
Michigan fans celebrate after leaving the stands and crowding the field at Michigan Stadium on Saturday.
Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com
Police in Ann Arbor said they dealt with more calls Saturday than on an ordinary game day, but the contest between the University of Michigan and Michigan State football teams kept them less busy than they feared.
Plenty of partying went on, but most of it didn't get out of hand, police said.
That doesn't mean the day came off problem free.
Emergency staff treated 62 people Saturday, including 15 people who had to be hospitalized, according to the University of Michigan Police.
Many of those emergency calls were alcohol-related, said Diane Brown, public information officer for the U-M Police.
The figure is nearly double the number that had to be treated at last week’s U-M game versus the University of Illinois.
The University of Michigan Police ejected 26 people from Michigan Stadium Saturday. Half of those were for disorderly conduct, and nine were for alcohol possession.
Five people were cited for having alcohol in the stadium and one person was cited for unlawful entry.
The U-M Police also made four arrests: Two for disorderly conduct, one for marijuana possession and one for resisting and obstructing a police officer.
Game attendance was tallied at 113,833.
The presence of the Spartans and their fans in Ann Arbor kept the Ann Arbor Police Department busier than normal on a game day, said Lt. Jim Baird.
However, Saturday’s rivalry game against MSU did not generate as many calls as the force had to deal with the last time MSU was in town in 2010, Baird said. He said he expects to have a detailed report on the call volume and enforcement action Monday.
The overcast skies that shut out the sun at the Big House for most of the day broke right at the end of the game as Michigan kicker Brendan Gibbons kicked a 38-yard field goal with five seconds left on the clock to give Michigan a 12-10 lead. MSU was unable to score in the 5 remaining seconds, giving the Wolverines a win over the Spartans after four consecutive losses.
Downtown Ann Arbor was relatively quiet during the game outside of the bars and restaurants that had fans packed in to watch the game. People who had gathered outdoors to peek in at the TV joined those sitting inside in celebratory hoops and hollers when Gibbons' kicked the game-winning field goal.
After the game ended about 6:45 p.m., fans spilled out of the stadium onto the streets of Ann Arbor with chants of “Go Blue!” and rebel yells that echoed off the buildings.
Spartan fans kept their respective chants to themselves, but did not leave the city without an occasional razzing from Wolverine fans.
After the game, many fans marched their way into downtown Ann Arbor to celebrate the victory and even more jumped in their cars to get out of town. The high volume of traffic prompted the Michigan State Police to send their helicopter to circle the city for several hours to monitor traffic backups, Baird said.
Amy Biolchini covers Washtenaw County, health and environmental issues for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at (734) 623-2552, amybiolchini@annarbor.com or on Twitter.
Comments
Jason
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 2:39 p.m.
What does 'rebel yells' echoing off the buildings sound like?
Tag
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 1:21 a.m.
Appeared to be a very bad accident west of Ann Arbor near Chelsea after the game. I think it was the Jackson Rd/ US 12 overpass area. Could you check with the State Police and follow up with a story?
PattyinYpsi
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 5:56 p.m.
A few of those "less busy" police officers could have been used to good effect for pedestrian control after the game. Rivers of game-goers clogged all of the streets near the campus, ignoring Don't Walk signs, red lights, stop signs, and good manners. I had to be downtown last night, and making a right turn onto State Street was nearly impossible. Which meant that traffic just continued to back up. Having lived near Wrigley Field in Chicago, I can tell you that it's easy for one officer at each major intersection to keep pedestrians from walking directly into the path of vehicles obeying the traffic signals. It's a good use of manpower.
PattyinYpsi
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 1:21 p.m.
Well, no, MRunner. That was the point of the reference to Wrigley Field. Traffic control means that traffic can move. I don't understand why it isn't done here.
MRunner73
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 10:45 p.m.
Such is life in Ann Arbor after a big rivalry football game. Regardless of traffic control, motorists still would have had very long pauses at that time and at that spot. Glad to see it was all cleared out by early this morning.
MK
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.
What happened to the person laying in the street in front of Urban Outfitters on State street north of Liberty around 3:30pm? The police had the area blocked off and the person on the ground was being looked at by EMS? Drunk person hit by car?
jmac
Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 12:25 p.m.
This is likely the pedestrian who was hit by a car about that time and suffered a broken leg - see related story: http://www.annarbor.com/news/pedestrian-suffers-broken-leg-when-hit-by-car-in-downtown-ann-arbor/
Kai Petainen
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 3:24 a.m.
"Emergency staff treated 62 people Saturday, including 15 people who had to be hospitalized, according to the University of Michigan Police. " WOW! that seems like a lot. in case you missed it, read the report on how the hospital helps at the game. it's a good read and they do a lot of good stuff.
Tru2Blu76
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 2:38 a.m.
I was in the area around Michigan Stadium starting around Noon. I don't recall seeing that many people buying, pouring, mixing, drinking and sharing booze at any other time in my life. I'm therefore glad to hear that there was so little trouble, since a lot of people got more than a three-hour head start with their drinking. Just glad that Michigan won - it's "just possible" all those "saturated" fans might have turned ugly after a loss.
mgoscottie
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 2:06 a.m.
Did not appreciate walking out in between a bunch of assault rifles....ridiculous.....
actionjackson
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 1:42 p.m.
They told me that if I kept the safety on at all times that it was OK.
MK
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 1:10 p.m.
Seems a bit overkill
Kai Petainen
Sun, Oct 21, 2012 : 3:23 a.m.
are you serious about the assault rifles?