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While University of Michigan football Saturdays might not classify as student unrest, it seems appropriate to talk about them under this section. Working the football games for all officers was mandatory from almost the beginning of the department's history, to the early 1990's, when the university formed their own police department. Today, instead of having every Ann Arbor Officer working the games, about 50 do.

Lt. Hill was in charge of special services in the early 1970's and it was his duty to make the assignments on football Saturdays. Lt. Hill stated that working the games was not an assignment that was particularly popular for Ann Arbor Officers. “I'd like to say that we don't have any problems getting volunteers to work the games,” he said, “but there are damn few volunteers.”

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At that time spectators could bring in their own coolers, which were normally filled with beer. What one often wound up with was many, many drunken fans. “Many heart attacks often occur at the games,” said Lt. Hill. “I don't think there's been a game without three or four heart attacks. I don't know if you've ever tried to run up those stairs, but at my age it's easier running down, than up.”

There were many confrontations between the spectators and the police in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Lt. Hill said, “I was thinking about getting all my checks changed. I was beginning to think my last name was ‘Pig’ and my first name was ‘Mother’!”

Drug Problems in Ann Arbor

The department continued its efforts to control the growing drug problem in the city, using undercover officers to accomplish this task. A rather insignificant incident occurred on February 2, 1970, when Detective Richard Anderson and Sgt. Calvin Hicks were involved in a drug raid at 812 E. Kingsley. One person was arrested for selling LSD and others were questioned in the apartment.

For whatever reasons, this incident drove many protestors to the city council meeting of February 9, 1970. They protested Detective Anderson's “personal campaign” to rid the city of “longhaired people.” One youth stated the detectives “take the law into their own hands when dealing with people with long hair.”

They protested the raid on Kingsley, hinting they would take physical action against the police. The protestors alleged that police planted marijuana in the apartment and struck a female across the face with a flashlight.

Mayor Harris told the protestors that the complaints would be thoroughly investigated. Chief Krasny reacted angrily to the charges stating, “We don't intend to be harassed out of the business of making arrests. And we're sorry if enforcing the law is making one element of the community uncomfortable.”

Chief Krasny told reporters that the charges were strictly “smear jobs” against the officers and the people inside of the apartment knew exactly what happened and “what happened wasn't exactly the way they told it. If these people who know so much about the case are that concerned, they can show up at the trial (of the suspect arrested for the sale of LSD) and put up or shut up.” The subsequent investigation exonerated the officers of any wrongdoing.

In another case officers seized over 61 pounds of marijuana from a home on Brookridge street on February 4, 1971. The investigation started at Metro Airport when a trained drug sniffing dog, “Bomber”, was on a training assignment there. Bomber and his handler were training another handler and dog from the New Mexico State Police. Bomber had received nationwide recognition for his success in drug detection.

As Bomber trotted up and down the freight aisles at the airport's freight depot, he came upon a large footlocker. He began scratching at the locker, an indication to his trainer that there were drugs inside. The footlocker was to be delivered to an address on Brookridge, which is on Ann Arbor's northside.

Officers decided to stake out the locker as it was being delivered to the address on Brookridge. When the delivery company arrived at the house, the occupants could not pay the $24 delivery fee and the driver left with the locker! He returned later in the day and the occupants came up with the delivery fee. Once they did, their home was raided by officers from the Ann Arbor Police Department and deputies from the Sheriff's Department. Three people inside of the home were arrested. Chief Krasny said he believed the seizure was the biggest in the history of the department.