State troopers beef up patrols at State Capitol day before right to work vote

LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) - A large contingency of state troopers can be seen inside and outside the State Capitol.

State troopers have been beefing up patrols as a precaution. They tell 7 Action News they decided to step up their presence after watching "Right To Work" laws pass in other states.

“Our troopers are prepared for any civil disorder through lessons learned in Ohio and Wisconsin,” said Inspector Gene Adamcyzk. “They were unprepared and we just want to be prepared here in Michigan just in case because it’s such an emotional situation.”

State police are hoping for civil protests with no altercations. They believe most protesters will be peaceful as lawmakers vote on the controversial bills.

The Right To Work bills have brought out tense feelings in the past week.  Last Thursday, at the State Capitol in Lansing, there were a few arrests when the bills were on the senate floor.

“The majority of  the protestors are fine,” said Inspector Adamcyzk. “They’re protesting... they’re getting their point across... but there is a handful that choose to ruin it for everybody else.”

State troopers say if everything goes right they will just be present to make sure protesters have their voices heard inside and outside the Capitol.

“What we’re trying to do is just  make sure people can move about the building freely,” said Inspector Adamcyzk. “If there is an emergency we can get emergency help to them… and they can move about to any part of the building that they choose.”

State troopers already have a command center set up in an undisclosed location. They are not releasing the number of troopers that will be inside and outside the Capitol or any of the plans they have in place for security reasons.