I was headed to breakfast at Friske’s with Katy Newman when I came to a screeching halt, made a U-turn, and pulled up at the old Township Hall. What the heck? The parking was a staging area for quantities of Serious Law Enforcement.
OK, fairly relaxed Law Enforcement. I found Sgt. Travis Chellis of the Antrim County Sheriff’s Department, who was in charge. It turns out that a dozen northern Michigan agencies* were engaged in a monthly training exercise. This month’s assignment: Secure the perimeter around a building where bad guys are holed up, extract said bad guys, and make sure none of ’em are still hiding in the building.
The former Township ambulance barn was playing the role of The Building. Katy and I offered to play Hostages, but our offer was declined politely. Instead we went and had a very good breakfast. An hour and a half later I headed back to the Writing Studio and Bait Shop and found the training exercise still going on. The least I could do was to take more pictures.
It was sort of like watching a movie being filmed. Spurts of action interspersed with long periods of, well, boredom. I have a high tolerance for boredom. I just let my mind wander. Fortunately, I was hunkered down behind a planter full of pinecones and dry needles and tiny white pine seedlings.
Then it was time for lunch, and the trainees headed off to the Eastport Market for fried chicken and potato salad. I spend quite enough time there as it is, so I went home to write the post that fell in my lap.
It’s good to practice for worst-case scenarios. It’s astonishing to see how much firepower can be brought to bear in a little township like this, should an actual worst case ever arise. And it’s sobering to see what we think we need to defend ourselves against . . . us.
(*Teams came from County Sheriffs Departments in Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet, Kalkaska, Otsego, Presque Isle Crawford, Alcona and Alpena, plus the Police Departments in Petoskey and Boyne City.)
Torch Lake Views 
uphilldowndale
April 22, 2010
Once a journalist always a journalist, even at breakfast. I’m still reeling at the juxtaposition of the guns and fir cones.
Your post illustrates some profound differences in culture between UK and USA.
1, going out for breakfast
2, being allowed anywhere such an arsenal; let alone take photographs!
Gerry
April 22, 2010
Katy said she would have been very disappointed in me had I not stopped to investigate.
I’m pleased that the fir cones had the exact intended effect.
The breakfast thing is an interesting observation that I’m going to have to explore a little. My personal affection for breakfasts out may be giving you a distorted view.
Ah yes, guns in America. I am astonished myself at their prevalence, their variety, their escalating excessiveness in every way. This bears further exploration, too, and it shall have it.
Cindy Lou
April 22, 2010
Quite a different post from your usual pastoral, small town views but very cool! I can’t believe they turned down your hostage offer 🙂
Gerry
April 22, 2010
This too is part of life Up North.
Fee
April 22, 2010
Serious-looking law enforcers … I’ll come quietly.
Haven’t seen so many policemen in one place since the Queen visited the building next to ours some years back. I got a ticking off for offering a sniffer dog an oatcake.
Gerry
April 22, 2010
Dogs! That’s what was missing from this exercise. There is a K9 unit, too. Wonder why they weren’t there?
I did not offer any cinnamon rolls to any of the officers, although it is possible that the faint fragrance of cinnamon that often wafts from my person was a factor in their break for lunch.
uphilldowndale
April 22, 2010
Fee, I’m sure it would have been OK if you had fed them doughnuts!
Gerry
April 22, 2010
Or barmcakes. Barmcakes? Can that be right? Never mind. Feed them cinnamon rolls.
Tammy McLeod
April 23, 2010
That’s quite an exercise that you were able to document. It would have scared me to death at first.
Gerry
April 23, 2010
It would have scared me if it had been real, and had it been, I would never have gotten so close.
Reggie
April 23, 2010
I was in stitches at your story and comments, Gerry. You have such an unmistakeable, delightfully mischievous sense of humour. 🙂
I also think it’s totally wild that you stopped to take photos of their training exercise! I would’ve too, though I’d be scared that they might confiscate my camera and arrest me for something or other.
Cinnamon rolls, oh yeah! 😉
Gerry
April 23, 2010
Well, I figure if the training exercise is sufficiently non-classified that it’s taking place next to a busy highway, there’s no reason not to take pictures, as long as I stay out of the way.
It would never occur to me that anyone would want to arrest me for taking pictures in the parking lot of the old Township Hall. Now I have more things to think about.
isathreadsoflife
April 25, 2010
Well, well, well… there is so much going on in Torch Lake ! Your report and photos are just perfect ! Fir cones included. Amazing how a quiet town can take a frightening look when people wear those colours…
Gerry
April 25, 2010
It is astonishing to see quantities of tall young men in camouflage milling about in a parking lot on US 31. The ones I know are nice fellas, and I promise you that they’re entirely peaceful, but the overall effect of the exercise is a bit frightening.