The number of drunken driving arrests is down in East Lansing, and it’s not because the city is sobering up.
The East Lansing Police Department reports fewer officers are available to curb drunken driving, as it is becoming more preoccupied with handling petty theft, noise violations and vandalism.
“Our calls for service are up, so with that you don’t have time to patrol for drunk drivers,” East Lansing Police officer Dan DeKorte said.
It doesn’t get easier for the city’s blue.
The East Lansing City Council cut $695,875 from its budget Tuesday, slashing the force’s overtime budget - something police relied on to meet needs in enforcing drunken driving laws as well as making house calls.
To follow up service calls - which reached 39,253 in 2000 - and monitor city streets may now be one of the department’s greatest challenges.
In 1990, the department arrested 581 drunken drivers. Ten years later, 332 were made - a statistic DeKorte said is affected by calls that pull officers away from their road patrols.
“Once you go to a noise complaint, that takes two officers, so they aren’t out there looking for drunk drivers,” he said.
Since 1990, calls for service - including noise complaints - have risen by more than 10,000 complaints per year from 28,579 to 39,253. Citations issued for noise violations alone have risen from 350 in 1999 to 463 in 2000.
The drop in drunken driving arrests also is effected by increased efforts of bars, public education on drunken driving and the availability of taxis in the city, DeKorte said.
Police patrol remains stretched thin on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, though, DeKorte said.
Applying for state aid is a possible answer to the problem, he said. But the department already has been awarded two grants in two years, including funding for targeting drunken drivers. That money may soon be passed over to another community in need.
David Carter, an MSU professor of criminal justice, said the problem facing East Lansing’s department is not unique.
“The calls for service is the bane of all police departments,” he said. “Whenever your calls for service increase, that is less time for investigating, drunk drivers, drugs and whatever else there is.”
Some motorists can’t help but fear the idea of less protection on the roads.
“There are a lot of people out there and that can cause a lot of accidents,” no-preference freshman Tiffany Maddelein said.
No-preference sophomore Melissa Pach has been to a couple of recent parties that caused calls to go to police, adding to the number of service calls.
“If it is a continuing problem, I think they should talk to their neighbors,” she said. “This is a college town and college students are going to be college students.”
Nancy Schertzing, Community Relations Coalition president, hopes residents will consider other options before calling the police.
The coalition is a community-based nonprofit group working to develop a better relationship between students and permanent residents.
“If you (have) a problem with someone who is always noisy, speak with them when they move in,” she said. “I would encourage students to do the same thing.”
Schertzing said there are many people in East Lansing who enjoy living next to the students. But some weekends can be too loud for them.
“I have gotten up at 2 a.m. and put on my robe and asked them to go inside,” she said. “Now if I thought there was danger, then that is time to call the police.”
Shaun Byron can be reached at byronsha@msu.edu.
