MENOMINEE, MI/MARINETTE, WI -- The Menominee River spans both Michigan and Wisconsin. And police on both sides have boats that they use to enforce the law on the water.
But what if there was a ship trying to pass through, but couldn't, because of some international strain between their country and the U.S.?
This is the kind of scenario that the Coast Guard is concerned with. When the foreign vessels come into port, they're a small piece of that foreign country. Their presence may draw protestors on land and the water.
Officers simulated arrests and kept the volunteer protestors at bay.
How did the police feel about joining forces with the Coast Guard?
“This is my first time working with the U.S. Coast Guard,” said Lieutenant Doug Erdmann of the Marinette Police Department. “So this is something new, and this is important because we have a waterway. Ships come in from other countries, so this is a very realistic possibility."
These drills are tailored to area environment and setting. Police were ready to secure protestors on boats who tried to block the ship.
“We feel that we are prepared,” Erdmann said. “There are always things that can come up, but we are constantly preparing, planning for the worst-case scenario."
The Coast Guard regularly performs exercises like this around the U.S.
“One of the most important reasons is that the Coast Guard is a very small organization,” explains Preparedness Specialist, Jeffrey Hieb. “They have a very big area of responsibility in the entire country. So particularly here in the Great Lakes, we need our local partners."
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