- Practice safe drinking: ELPD warns people to be mindful of how much you're drinking, what you're drinking and to not leave drinks unattended.
- Medical amnesty: The exemption from punishment for an intoxicated, underage student if medical assistance is called to help them. If someone is in need of help, call 911. No one involved will face repercussions.
- Safe driving: Be aware of your surroundings and don't drink and drive. Be mindful of more traffic in the area than usual on game day.
- Don't damage property: Burning couches is a felony and destroying cars is malicious destruction of property. ELPD says anyone involved in property destruction could face jail time.
- Keep tabs on those you care about: Always know where friends and family are and make sure they get home safe.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
We are just a few sleeps away from the big rivalry game where Michigan State will take on second ranked Michigan under the lights at Spartan Stadium on Saturday. The East Lansing Police Department has been preparing for the big game for weeks and wants to make sure everyone stays safe.
“This is basically an all in for us," said Captain Chad Pride. "Every employee working in a sworn position will be working over the weekend. We've also reached out to other partners, our law enforcement partners in the area. We have additional officers coming in from local agencies.”
The first tip he has for those celebrating is to practice safe drinking.
“Be mindful how much you're drinking, be mindful of what you are drinking and be mindful of your drinks," Pride said. "In general, there's always opportunity for stuff to get in people's drinks when they leave them sitting aside and we just want to make sure that everyone's safe.”
However, he said if someone does drink too much and needs medical attention, to call 911. The city uses medical amnesty which allows individuals to report someone underage who is intoxicated and may need medical attention with no repercussions for anyone involved.
"We want to make sure that if they somebody does need medical treatment, that they have the ability to get that medical treatment because your life is more important than getting in trouble for an MIP or some sort of ordinance violation," Pride said.
He also warns those driving to the game to make good choices.
“Make sure you're paying attention," Pride said. "There's going to be a lot of people out and about, a lot of cars, so just make sure you're paying close attention to your driving. If you do end up consuming alcohol, please don't drive.”
And for those not driving to the game, but through the city, to be prepared.
“Give yourself a little bit of extra time before you come into the city, just because there's going to be that extra amount of traffic that's going to slow things down," Pride said.
In years past after games against Michigan like in 2021, East Lansing officials have been called to destructive behavior like couch fires and car flipping. Pride said these are serious offenses and warns people not to participate in those types of activities.
“Burning a couch is a felony," Pride said. "So you can actually see some sort of potential prison time depending on what comes out of that. And then, you know, damaging cars, that's malicious destruction of property. So, nobody wants their car damaged, nobody wants to couch burned.”
Overall, the police department is ready to respond to anyone in need this weekend and hopes everyone has a good time.
“Make sure that you know where your friends are at, where your family are at, to make sure that they get home safe as well," Pride said. "And go State.”
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