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Originally Posted by garryd451
I was watching an old movie, the other day, they showed a Road Block, that reminded me that back in the late 1960's when I started listening to police calls that We had Road Blocks in Berrien County and Cass County.
1. Anybody remembers when Road Blocks were discontinued in Michigan?
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I believe it had to be sometime in the early-to-mid 1990s. My neighbor down the street was a MSP radio operator, and I asked her the same question and she said that Michigan law enforcement agencies no longer do them anymore.
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2. Anybody know why We no Longer have Road Blocks?
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The current thinking is that such planning is not really effective against catching criminals anymore. A single patrol car can be sent to a location to observe for the suspect vehicle, rather than having several agencies tied up at a single location, hoping that the criminals would drive up and be captured, or try to flee from the roadblock. The bottom line is economics and available resources have caused the demise of roadblocks in our state.
The old Michigan Roadblock system was based on where the crime happened, access to nearby traffic arteries, and the distance they might travel based on the direction the vehicle was seen fleeing in. This would be translated into an effective plan for each county, based on the location where the incident first took place. Take Cass County for instance.
Cass County was divided into five sections:
A-Adam = northwest
B-Boy = northeast
C-Charles = southwest
D-David = southeast
E-Edward = Central
This was applied to all other counties and was used throughout the state, and more often than not, the Edward sector was the county seat. Let's say a bank robbery would have happened at the Standard Federal Savings is Cassopolis. This would have set off a chain reaction once the information was received by the local state police post and MSP E. Lansing Operations (ELOP).
The commander at ELOP would determine the following factors:
1. When did the crime occur?
2. Where did the crime occur?
3. What was the suspect vehicle (make, model, license plate, etc.)?
4. Suspect description(s)?
5. Direction of travel?
Upon verification of all the information from a local agency, ELOP would then issue a the following statement over 42.580, 42.480, 155.370, and 155.865 MHz:
“E. Lansing to all stations, departments, units and all monitors, stand-by to copy Cass County Blockade E-Edward now in effect, repeat Cass County Blockade E-Edward now in effect"
"E. Lansing to all stations, departments and units, and all monitors Cass County Blockade E-Edward now in effect: armed robbery occurred at 14:10 hours at the Standard Federal Savings at 123 Main Street in Cassopolis. Suspect vehicle is described as a late model 1968 or 1969 Dodge Charger two-door, black in color, with Michigan registration ABC-123, Suspect vehicle is described as a late model 1968 or 1969 Dodge Charger two-door, black in color, with Michigan registration ABC-123. Vehicle was last seen eastbound on M-60 from Main Street. Break for suspect description.
Suspect is described as white male, 5’11” 200 pounds, with a beard and long shoulder-length hair. Suspect was wearing blue jeans and faded, dirty green jacket, and was armed with a .38 caliber blue-steel revolver. (Sections on the suspect description were repeated as needed during the broadcast.)
More information to follow as we receive it…E. Lansing clear at 14:25 hours KQA258, KDR331, WAB37.”
Once this broadcast was received by radio or LEIN, each county affected by Cass County Blockade E-Edward, would then determine what roadblock points they had to cover in their own county, if any. For instance, neighboring Van Buren County might have 1-5 blockade points in their county, and each location would be transmitted in code over the radio; example: 801124-6. This would tell the patrol cars where they needed to go and the number after the “-“ meant what lane or direction on a roadway or freeway they might have to cover.
The blockade might last for one to two hours, or longer if a confirmed sighting of the suspect(s) or vehicle occurred . Moreover, if the suspects were apprehended and this was confirmed, the blockade would be terminated immediately. However, after a reasonable amount of time, the blockade would be terminated and ELOP would advise everyone that the suspect(s) and vehicle were still out.
Thinking about this really brings back a lot of memories and I can remember actually going through a roadblock back in 1973 on US-12 west of Ypsilanti, Mich., when I was a kid. Back then, all of the adult occupants in the car had to show their driver’s license, or ID and the police officers would also check for any other violations: OUIL, expired licenses, lack of insurance, and improper plates, etc.
Road Blocks
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