Mill Creek Police Prepare for Y2K Riots

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"A lot of departments wanted this stuff for a
long time. The Y2K thing - it kind of gave them
an excuse to buy it now," Boyle said.

. . .

Police and all other city workers also stashed
away boxes full of underwear, toiletries and other
personal items -

-----------------------------------------
You wouldn't want to get whacked along side of the
from a cop with dirty underwear.

Seattle Times article

-- spider (spider0@usa.net), October 05, 1999

Answers

[ Fair Use: For Educational/Research Purposes Only ]

Copyright ) 1999 Seattle Times Company

Posted at 02:19 a.m. PDT; Monday, October 4, 1999

If a riot breaks out when 2000 arrives, Mill Creek cops will be ready

by Jim Brunner, Seattle Times Snohomish County bureau

MILL CREEK - Aside from the occasional cursing over that nasty sand bunker just off the seventh green, life plods along calmly in this city built around a private golf course.

So why is the police department stocking up on gas masks and riot gear? What does it think could drive suburbanites into the streets to mob local grocery stores and banks?

Yep, it's the much-hyped Y2K computer glitch that some fear could shut down everything from streetlights to cash machines Jan. 1, 2000.

Many say that's unlikely, but police departments across the region are preparing for the end of the year, which they expect at least will bring the most raucous parties of the century.

In Mill Creek, a Snohomish County city of 10,600, police are buying riot gear, stockpiling military rations and learning the latest crowd-control techniques - just in case.

If the people can't get money or groceries, "civil unrest" could be a consequence, Police Chief John Klei said. "I think every community has the potential for that."

Tim Boyle, sales manager for Blumenthal Uniforms and Equipment in Seattle, said he's seen a surge in orders from area police departments over the past six months for new equipment such as batons and pepper spray.

"A lot of departments wanted this stuff for a long time. The Y2K thing - it kind of gave them an excuse to buy it now," Boyle said.

The Mill Creek police department cobbled together surplus military gear to equip its 17 officers. It got clear-plastic riot shields for $18, gas masks for $50 and helmets for about $8.

The department also is looking into buying a $1,200 "gas-delivery system" - a gun that shoots tear-gas canisters through windows or into crowds. Department officials have not yet compiled a final price tag for their purchases.

Police and all other city workers also stashed away boxes full of underwear, toiletries and other personal items - enough for three days - in a large metal storage shed outside City Hall. Military rations and canvas tents are also stacked there.

Crowd-control tactics

Five of the department's officers are practicing crowd-control tactics with a team of 15 Snohomish County police agencies, dubbed the Allied Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT). The officers are outfitted with $50 military-style black uniforms, $15 side-handle batons, $37 shin guards and $69 padded vests.

The ALERT team consists of about 115 officers who train to deal with the civil unrest that could follow any major catastrophe - not just Y2K, said State Patrol Sgt. Dale Lathan, the team's coordinator.

"It's a broad-based resource for any response to anything, if it's a school shooting or an airplane down. It could be floods, it could be a variety of things," Lathan said. But it was concern over potential Y2K repercussions that prompted Mill Creek to buy riot gear and to join ALERT.

Mill Creek Officer Sean Conner, who trains with ALERT about once a month, said members learn everything from how to work in large formations to using tear gas and facing down unruly crowds.

"The first thing anyone says to a crowd is, `This is an illegal assembly, you are ordered by the city to disperse,' " Conner said.

"It's pretty impressive. I'd stay back myself."

Brier training with team

Even in Brier, a Snohomish County city of 6,300, two of the police department's eight officers are training with the team, Police Chief Gary Minor said. The small department spent $1,000 to outfit the two officers, he said.

More than riots due to computer problems, Minor said he worries that New Year's Eve parties could get out of hand if police try to shut them down.

"It could be the ugliest weekend on Earth," Minor said. "Normally you go to a party, they may give a you lot of hubbub and guff, but you can usually break it up. This is a little different. The year 2000 has a whole lot of hype and hysteria associated with it, and that's when things are going to get out of hand."

In fact, it was a party turned riot at Washington State University last year that spurred some police departments to start thinking about crowd control.

Hundreds of WSU students filled the streets of Greek Row in April 1998, starting fires and heaving bottles at police, injuring nearly two dozen officers.

Everett police spokesman Elliott Woodall said police need to be properly equipped to deal with any angry crowd without getting injured. The department is participating in the ALERT training and spent about $20,000 to outfit its officers with new protective equipment.

Of course, there are no wild fraternity parties in Mill Creek. There have been no riots that police can recall. The only violent crime last year was a robbery.

Nevertheless, police in the quiet suburb said they'd rather be safe than sorry.

"We can't predict when the next earthquake is going to hit or when an asteroid is going to hit, or when Mount St. Helens is going to blow up," Mill Creek police Sgt. Jim Durante said. He figures if officers are ready for Y2K, an actual date they can prepare for, they'll be ready for anything.

In Seattle, where crowds of protesters are nothing new, police already receive basic crowd-control training and they're not buying any extra riot gear for Y2K, Seattle police spokeswoman Pam McCammon said.

Bellevue officers participating

In Bellevue, 80 patrol officers are getting new training in crowd-control tactics in anticipation of New Year's Eve, Capt. Todd Simonton said. The department also may be called on to aid Seattle police to handle expected protests at the World Trade Organization meeting next month.

"I don't think the sky is going to fall," Simonton said.

But out by the country club in Mill Creek, no matter what the New Year brings, they'll be ready.

"We don't believe Armageddon is coming. We're being responsible civic civil servants," Durante said. Jim Brunner's phone message number is 425-745-7808. His e-mail address is
jbrunner@seattletimes.com

---------------------------------------------------------------

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), October 05, 1999.


"If the people can't get money or groceries, "civil unrest" could be a consequence, Police Chief John Klei said. "I think every community has the potential for that."

Maybe if the town spent as much time and effort on STRONGLY encouraging individual and neighborhood preparations.. for a few MONTHS, not a few days, they wouldn't need those tear gas delivery systems.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), October 05, 1999.


'The officers are outfitted with $50 military-style black uniforms'

Serious question: how would you respond to some cowboys in black ninja turtle outfits appearing at your door and shooting cannisters of gas into your house? How many people do you think would really be prepared emotionally or from experience to believe that this was really the police? I wouldn't....police don't act that insane here (yet...or do they? Well maybe...but that's just drug bust...not in my neighborhood. This run to arms by local police force (and all the other stories we have read about IRS, FBI, etc. doing the same) are truly alarming.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), October 05, 1999.

"How many people do you think would really be prepared emotionally or from experience to believe that this was really the police?"

It's a tough call. Years ago, when my oldest boy was 14, he and a couple of other kids were flipping a Frisbee back and forth across a residential street near where we lived. It's a street with very little traffic. A car was coming up the road, and my boy tried to get in one last pitch before it passed. The Frisbee didn't quite go as planned, it slanted off sideways and struck the near wheel of the car. No damage whatsoever, of course.

The driver screeched to a stop, three burly guys dressed in rough civilan clothing jumped out and went after my boy. He started to run but realized he couldn't make it and stopped. The other boys had run off. They arrested him and took him to a distant precinct station.

It was getting late and we didn't know where he was. Checked with his buddies parents and found out the other two kids had see three guys throw him in a car and drive away.

After a while they called us (after 11 at night) and we drove out to pick him up. We got a lecture, he got a lecture, and they let us take him home without being charged. Turned out these bozos were plain- clothes cops cruising around looking for drug buys. I saw them at the station and I would've run from them myself. They looked downright thuggish.

Just hope when they knock on your door they're wearing uniforms. It's very easy to get confused when the cops look like the crooks. Crooks looke like crooks, too. Sometimes.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), October 05, 1999.


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