Missoula Police Chief Mark Muir said the department has looked back to the 2000 rally and, in retrospect, weighed what was successful and what was not. As a result, law enforcement will take a different approach when policing the five-day Hells Angels gathering, scheduled to take place in the Missoula area beginning July 30.
“In our line of work, we don't often get two chances to do something right,” Muir told a group of about 25 people who gathered at City Hall on Tuesday evening to discuss the police department's strategy for managing public safety during the rally. “We look at this as an opportunity to learn from our previous mistakes.”
That July weekend was characterized by downtown riots, clashes with citizen protesters and a heavy, aggressive police presence, which drew intense criticism from many members of the public.
Missoula Mayor John Engen emphasized the “tremendous responsibility” that falls on city officials during an event like the Hells Angels' rally, and assured Missoulians that police are concerned first and foremost with public safety.
“We think we're going to have a nonevent, but we're planning for an event,” said Engen. “We don't want any Missoula residents getting hurt, and the Hells Angels need to know that if things get out of hand, we have enough people to handle it.”
The police department also has developed clearer policies on when and how officers will use riot gear and pepper spray. Both tactics were frequently deployed during the 2000 rally.
The police department's efforts to build a partnership with the community drew praise from those in attendance on Tuesday evening.
Howard Challinor, a Missoula resident, said the Hells Angels' previous run through Missoula left a bad taste in his mouth, primarily because of the Missoula Police Department's “heavy-handed” response.
“I didn't like the police response last time, and I think the city needed to learn from its mistakes, because that isn't what Missoula is about,” Challinor said. “Based on what the chief said tonight, it looks like they're on the right track.”
Members of the public will have another opportunity to voice their concerns on July 16, when the Missoula City Council's public safety and health committee convenes to discuss the rally and solicit input from the community.
In 2000, Missoula's police department made arrangements with agencies throughout Montana and across the country, ensuring that a phalanx of law enforcement would be available when the Angels rallied. It's a strategy that police agencies across America swear by, and which they say effectively stamps out most criminal behavior before it begins.
But Missoula residents complained that the police came on too strong and fast, and said they felt more threatened by the high volume of police officers and their aggressive crowd-control tactics than by the risks posed by the hundreds of bikers.
“What's going to change is the visible police presence,” Muir said. “We want to minimize the appearance of an over-policed event. But what seemed like a heavy police presence in 2000 really was a drop in the bucket compared to what these guys are used to.”
According to a Citizens' Review Committee report that recommended new approaches to law enforcement, the police department's failure to include the public in its planning process in 2000 was a major oversight. Still, the report concluded that the police department did plenty of things right, including its decision to enlist uniformed officers from other locales.
“The police department did a good job of seeking input from other law enforcement agencies, but they left the public out of the loop,” said Larry Howell, a University of Montana Law School professor and author of the report. Howell served as moderator at Tuesday's meeting, and stressed that, had police not made those arrangements, the problems could have been far more serious.
Officials say the Hells Angels will stay at Marshall Mountain campground and at hotels around Missoula, and will also spend time at restaurants, bars and shops in the city center.
Members of the motorcycle club also are expected to attend the Testicle Festival at Rock Creek Lodge, east of Missoula. The annual festival coincides with the Hells Angels' gathering, and will be patrolled by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office and the Montana Highway Patrol.
“We believe that has the potential to be one of the flashpoints for what could occur,” Muir said.
“We have essentially not changed anything about our mission since 2000, we'll simply be carrying it out with a little different flavor,” Muir said.
Reporter Tristan Scott can be reached at 523-5264 or at tscott@missoulian.com.
|
 |
 |
Add your comment now! Write your comment in the form below.
(Email address is for verification only. If you'd like to email a story, look for the link above)