KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Police are cracking down on mobile nuisance parties that have been disrupting various neighborhoods in Kalamazoo.
A majority of them are happening on the city's northside.
Just this year alone, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety (KDPS) said they've already responded to over a dozen mobile nuisance parties.
Their most recent focus is impounding cars parked in the middle of the streets.
"The vehicles are a big catalyst for this because they bring in their own amplified music. They hold several people that come in there, and then when those roads gets blocked that is a huge issue for us," said Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety Captain Scott VanderEnde.
When they block the roads, it is an issue because emergency response time goes up.
Drone video from KDPS shows the congestion from a mobile nuisance party back in May.
"It’s a large gathering of individuals, crowds, people in vehicles. The vehicles congest the streets, almost block them. The people that live there are disrupted because of the noise, the partying, the alcohol being consumed, fights break out, sometime there are gunshots," said Capt. VanderEnde.
The most recent location for a mobile nuisance party was on Kalamazoo's Northside on North Burdick Street.
From it, five vehicles were impounded, three people were arrested and two guns were seized.
"Officers addressed it. They got it to calm down a little bit and got the roadway cleared back up. Then again about 2:30 or 3 in the morning, it swelled back up. We had a lot more vehicle traffic," said Capt. VanderEnde.
KDPS said the parties are disrupting the neighbors who live there.
"The obvious is the noise. It disrupts a lot of people’s sleep. It is late hours, early morning and the secondary is we do have fights. There is alcohol being consumed which is always a catalyst for poor behavior in criminal elements," said Capt. VanderEnde.
With hundreds of people in attendance, it's hard for law enforcement as they have to devote most of their resources to control it, taking them away from other areas of the city.
"All of our tactics are being attempted. Anything that we can think of that can stop this, we are willing to try," said Capt. VanderEnde.
Anyone with information on the mobile nuisance parties can contact KDPS or Silent Observer.
