KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Tuesday, Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard Fuller spoke with the County Board of Commissioners during a virtual meeting about the local state of emergency and the curfew for the city.
Sheriff Fuller says that the department had received information that they deemed credible in vandalizing the city for a protest occurring Monday night, with the county jail listed as a potential target. There were notifications of both peaceful protests and plans for civil unrest.
“The protest went very, very well,” Fuller said. “There were many different areas where groups of people were able to have a voice, make their concerns known peacefully, and at the end of that, they went home. After they went home, there was a group that we’ve been tracking information on that did come into the area, that did instigate some unrest, and we ultimately had an event in downtown Kalamazoo, and a little bit out in Oshtemo that caused damage, grave concern for a while, and ultimately was put to rest about 2:30 in the morning.”
Fuller then took time to explain the emergency order and why it was declared in the City of Kalamazoo.
“The request came from the fact that at the end of the evening, there was more damage than we expected at first,” Fuller said. “We were able to assess the needs throughout the event and the concerns for future events, so that’s why we requested the declaration of an emergency that would allow us to utilize the services of the National Guard to some level.”
Commissioner John Gisler then asked questions about the report of outside protesters instigating civil unrest.
“The people that were arrested last night did end up in the Kalamazoo County Jail, according to the City, they know that they arrested six people specifically for some of the charges related to that,” Fuller said. “There were other people arrested, we found that for the most part they were from the community, even though we knew there was a high presence of people from outside of the Kalamazoo community.”
Commissioner Stephanie Moore also asked questions about the procedures and tactics the department uses for when an event like this takes place, as well as how the community can learn about them.
Fuller said that Commissioners can look at the department’s documented procedures, also known as the Operational Procedures.
Moore also raised questions about how County Officials can work better together in understanding how the Emergency Management Plan works.
“I would like to know, how is that plan coordinated with the Administrator, and even with the County Commission, because I think that we should all be understanding fully what this plan is, how it’s rolled out and implemented, and what each of our roles are,” Moore said.
Moore said that she was unsure of how this plan is actually implemented in the community.
“I was not able to articulate to the community, ‘this is what you should expect,’” Moore said. “There was a disconnect between the plan and the coordination that left not just me, but probably some of my colleagues out in understanding this.”
Moore recommended that a committee be formed to go over the Emergency Management Plan with Sheriff Fuller for the purposes of better communication.
Other Commissioners such as Meredith Place were in agreement with Moore.
“I too am extremely frustrated today trying to get information,” Place said. “We have a disconnect, and we as commissioners are doing everything we can to communicate with our constituents, and today we couldn’t do that. We had no idea what to say other than there’s a state of emergency, and to say that to folks that are already going through so much through this crisis, some reeling with the emotion of this weekend, it was hard for me to communicate exactly what that meant. I really wish and hope for the future that we can work more as a team here at Kalamazoo County, and that the information is communicated in a consistent and clear manner.”
Fuller said that the department would be able to meet with commissioners by appointment to go over all the details of the emergency declaration.
“I will definitely show you everything you’re asking for,” Fuller told the board.
Place also raised questions about the credible threats that were received by the Department.
“What we found were very specific named locations that were going to be targets,” Fuller said. “One actually called out and said ‘burn down the jail,’ and they put our address on there. Credible or not, right now, I have just under 200 inmates in this jail that rely on us to make sure they are safe. We took that as a credible threat because somebody was brave enough to put that on social media with their name and say ‘let’s do this,’ so we made sure we took the precautions necessary.”
Fuller said that the post in question had several “likes” and similar comments, which led to around 40 deputies deployed to the facility.
“We had a nervous time last night when we understood there was a line of traffic, described as up to 200 cars, coming our direction,” Fuller said. “I made it as clear as I could – it’s people over property, and the people inside this building are going to go home safe when they’re done being in this building, and that’s what we made sure of.”
Fuller confirmed that there were similar threats being made that are being taken seriously for protests Tuesday night.
“There are some similar comments, nothing as direct as that one, but yesterday’s comments all said to do it tonight or tomorrow,” Fuller said.
Fuller also reminded citizens that the curfew applies only to the City of Kalamazoo and not Kalamazoo County as a whole, but the City of Portage also enacted a similar measure.
The curfew is in effect from 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. for seven days, but it could be shortened or lengthened if needed.
During the curfew, people are not allowed to walk, run, stand or use any mode of transportation on city streets, alleys, roads, highways and public properties.
Exceptions are for individuals travelling directly to and from their place of employment, or seeking emergency medical care. Also exempt are all law enforcement, fire, medical personnel, or officials designated by duty or office with reference to said emergency, and credentialed members of the news media.
