The city of East Lansing and its police department will not be bound to change their policies after the independent commission reviewing the April 2-3 disturbances releases a set of recommendations to the City Council in the fall.
"I would hope that everybody will embrace them," commission Chairman and East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows said of the impending report. "Next March, it will be my expectation that we will have implemented whatever the recommendations are."
The police department will seriously consider any recommendations made, East Lansing police Lt. Kim Johnson said. Future police plans dealing with large-scale disturbances could be molded around the group's findings, he added.
The commission will be meeting at 10 a.m. today at the Hannah Community Center, 819 Abbott Road, to discuss police tactics during the disturbances.
Although local officials say they will take the report's findings into account when drawing up plans for other large-scale gatherings, some said there is a need for changes in crowd-control tactics.
"I think the creation of the commission and the statements made by the police chief indicate there is a widespread feeling what has been tried over the past 25 years hasn't worked," said Joe Tuchinsky, a commission member and representative from the American Civil Liberties Union.
Tuchinsky said police exist to protect more than private property or guard against physical harm - they serve to ensure that the rights granted to people by the U.S. Constitution are upheld.
"There is nothing strange about those people wanting to get together with other people and hoop and holler," he said. "People have the right to gather on the streets and peacefully celebrate their championships. Those people who found themselves in the gathering, either going somewhere or observing, were not breaking the law.
"They did not remain there with the intent to advance the purpose of riot - that is not illegal."
Letting people celebrate while working to ensure the safety of the community is something officers need to learn to master, Tuchinsky said.
Police were instructed to take a proactive approach and intervene in small incidents, a police report submitted to the City Council stated. Officers were equipped with several chemical munitions, such as tear gas, to disperse crowds.
"Proactive intervention is critical for us to do our part in reducing property damage and personal injury," Johnson said. "Standing by and doing nothing is not the way to control a riot."
About $5,775 in property damage was caused by police-estimated crowds of about 3,000 people, who flooded the Cedar Village area and downtown after the men's basketball team lost to the University of North Carolina in the Final Four.
To curb riotous behavior, five platoons consisting of 36 officers each, were placed throughout East Lansing in full riot gear.
"The span of control is tighter under a platoon system," Johnson said. "Then, decisions are made by several people. It really reduces independent action."
