Police: Welcome Week citations decrease this year

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Welcome Week had fewer arrests and citations than in recent years, East Lansing and MSU police said.

“Even as an observer, this was definitely the calmest one we’ve had,” East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.

From Wednesday evening to Sunday morning, a total of 424 alcohol-related citations were issued and 100 arrests were made by East Lansing police officers. That’s 153 fewer citations and six fewer arrests than in 2007.

During the extended weekend, there were 134 minor in possession citations, 75 disorderly conduct citations and 146 open-alcohol citations, East Lansing police Capt. Kim Johnson said.

Despite the decrease in citations from 2007, there is growing concern that Welcome Week attracts out-of-town partygoers.

MSU police made 41 arrests during the weekend, and 49 percent of those were nonstudents, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.

Of East Lansing’s 100 arrests, 62 percent were people with no MSU affiliation, and 57 percent of citations were people without an MSU affiliation.

“The biggest problem with Welcome Week is outside people,” Wibert said. “It just shows that East Lansing is a destination, and that is not the reputation we want.”

In 2007, 56 percent of citations were issued to people with no MSU affiliation.

“We identified people from Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Muskegon who were not affiliated with any form of higher education,” Wibert said. “They were attempting to intimidate and pick fights with students.”

More fights were reported this year, and the number of robberies increased from one in 2007 to three this year.

Despite the influx of visiting partygoers, there were fewer party offenses than in the past. Noise-related complaints dropped from 122 calls in 2007 to 72 in 2008.

“There were no outrageously huge crowds this year, which is progress in the right direction,” Wibert said.

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