Police: Surfside trailer parking enforcement to resume; siren noise tied to statutory emergency driving rules

Orono Police Department staff told the Mound City Council on May 13 that patrols will resume enforcement of new Surfside trailer-parking restrictions and that recent increases in siren noise are largely the result of emergency-vehicle operations governed by state law.

A police spokesperson said officers are monitoring newly installed stop signs at Bartlett and Commerce and will remind patrol units to check the Surfside lot, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. "We can start as early as now... I'll just send an email to the patrol and make sure they... start hitting it," the spokesperson said in response to a council question about enforcement over holiday weekends.

Residents and council members raised two related concerns: (1) people turning into private lots near Gillespie Center to avoid Surfside enforcement and damaging turf, and (2) repeated siren use late at night or on weekends. One resident said she had observed "sirens every hour" and suspected neighboring Minnetrista units were using lights and sirens to travel through Mound. The resident added that people were turning trailers into the Gillespie lot to turn around after Surfside restrictions tightened.

Police responded that siren and light use while driving in emergency mode is regulated by state statute and that officers and ambulance crews must use lights and sirens when driving above speed limits to protect liability and safety. "If they're running through here with sirens and lights on, it's because they are covering themselves for liability purposes," the police spokesperson said. The spokesperson also noted a recent multi-hour search operation involving a state search airplane that had assisted a local missing-person incident.

The council discussed the private-property impacts at Gillespie Center and was told private property owners can post signs to prevent truck and trailer access. Staff said public works has patched turf damage caused by vehicles turning around in that lot.

Operational updates the department provided during the meeting included ongoing recruitment and onboarding for a new officer, a crime-prevention event June 16, and the K9 team of Officer Braden Sherman and Onyx, who were described as in final training and expected to be patrol-ready roughly a week after Labor Day.

Direction given: police staff said they will remind patrol units to enforce Surfside parking restrictions and coordinate any needed signage communication with the council and public works.