AHOD day is a day for everyone in the department, including administrators and detectives, to wear their uniforms and patrol the streets, East Lansing police Capt. Tom Johnstone said.

AHOD day is an annual occurrence for the East Lansing Police Department, and this is the second year in a row the event is being held on March 17, Johnstone said.

“There’s a lot of behind- the-scenes police work that’s done in plain clothes,” he said. “Certain times of years that are busy for us we bring everybody out and they do what the normal patrol does.”

St. Patrick’s Day generally is one of the busiest days of the year for the East Lansing Police Department, Johnstone said.

In 2010 there were 131 total citations issued in East Lansing on St. Patrick’s Day including 34 for open alcohol and 28 for minor in possession of alcohol. There also were 23 arrests made, 15 for disorderly conduct and eight for driving under the influence.

Those numbers were significantly lower in 2009 with 56 total citations and 11 arrests.

MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said MSU police will have additional officers on duty for
St. Patrick’s Day because of the increase in activity on campus.

Mark Sekelsky, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, said the weather is expected to be much warmer than normal for this time of year, with highs in the low 60s and a 40 percent chance of rain.

Johnstone said higher temperatures generally lead to more student activity outside, and for St. Patrick’s Day it probably will lead to larger parties.

“Anyone who’s been here knows the first few warm days of spring, it’s like everybody’s out and wants to be outdoors,” Johnstone said. “The more (people) you get outdoors the more calls we get for service because (the warm weather) just brings people out from all over the place.”

Johnstone said he enjoys walking the streets whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Because he primarily works with the patrol officers, Johnstone said he has the opportunity to put on the uniform more often than other administrators such as Capt. Kim Johnson.

Most of Johnson’s duties require him to spend his time at the office doing the behind-the-scenes work.

Johnson said AHOD day is a chance for him to think about the badge he wears and why he got into law enforcement in the first place.

“When I wake up every morning, I don’t think about the uniform,” he said. “I think about just coming to work, getting here by 8 o’clock, so I normally just go to a shirt and tie. (AHOD day) brings me a little more reality.”