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Clemson police update staffing, April crime figures and concert traffic plans ahead of Morgan Wallen shows
Summary
The police representative reported one vacancy, two recruits entering academy June 7, and April statistics including just under 4,200 calls for service and 11 DUI arrests; the board discussed limited road capacity, concert-related medical-call examples from other jurisdictions, GPS-driven neighborhood cut-throughs and approved moving the August meeting to Aug. 6.
A Clemson police representative briefed the City Police Advisory Board on May 28 about staffing, April crime figures and preparations for large upcoming concerts, including a two-night Morgan Wallen performance.
Staffing and training: the police representative said the department currently had one sworn vacancy after an officer left for the sheriff's office, and two new hires who completed pre-academy passed their cumulative exam and physical fitness tests and will begin the police academy on June 7. One officer remains in field training and is expected to return to solo status in a few weeks. The department is also sending personnel to trauma-informed interview training and a negotiators team class.
Crime and service volumes: for April the department recorded just under 4,200 calls for service, 738 traffic stops and 418 citations issued; there were 11 DUI arrests and 63 people arrested overall. Collisions totalled 68 in April, nine with injuries. Reported crimes in April included two aggravated assaults, nine simple assaults and eight vehicle break-ins; motor-vehicle thefts were two in April and five so far in May. Disorderly-conduct and narcotics figures were reported as well.
Concert and event planning: the representative said the George Strait concert produced very few problems but staff are preparing for Morgan Wallen, a two-night headliner. Citing another jurisdiction's experience, the representative said University of Florida had 168 medical calls the second night of a two-night run and 61 medical calls the night before, with multiple transports. The representative underscored the town's limited road capacity and said traffic bottlenecks can create lengthy clear-out times after major events.
"So that's a part of the frustrations and some of what could have occurred in some of the neighborhoods, adjoining the stadium where more cars came into the area and parked in places that don't normally occur during the game," the police representative said, reviewing how unusual parking and concentrated arrivals and departures increase congestion.
Neighborhood concerns: a member reported neighbors on Azalea Drive saw concertgoers use the street as a cut-through after the George Strait show, resulting in a mailbox collision and two near-miss incidents involving children; the board discussed limits on staffing for neighborhood road controls, liability for privately placed obstructions on public roads and the difficulty of preventing GPS-routing from sending nonlocal drivers through residential streets.
Communications and mitigation: the department said it had used platforms that accept road-closure notices (Google, Waze) and planned to increase messaging ahead of Morgan Wallen, but that Apple Maps and some other platforms do not accept the same inputs. Board members and staff discussed that voluntary signage or civilian-placed barriers pose liability and enforcement concerns and that staffing for manual neighborhood control is limited.
Board action: members voted to move the regularly scheduled Aug. 27 meeting to Thursday, Aug. 6; the motion was made, seconded and approved by show of hands.
What happens next: staff will continue pre-event messaging and coordination with university partners and other jurisdictions, and report back on any operational changes or further data after the Morgan Wallen shows.
