Small towns stock up on riot gear for Y2K, just in case

The Associated Press
10/06/99 2:11 AM Eastern

MILL CREEK, Wash. (AP) -- Police departments in some usually quiet Seattle
suburbs are buying riot gear to be ready for New Year's Eve, whether it
brings Y2K blackouts or just really big parties.

Sales of batons, pepper spray and other such equipment have surged in the
past six months, said Tim Boyle, sales manager at Blumenthal Uniforms and
Equipment in Seattle.

"A lot of departments wanted this stuff for a long time," Boyle said. "The
Y2K thing -- it kind of gave them an excuse to buy it now."

The much-hyped Y2K problem concerns a deficiency in many older computers,
which use just two digits for years and could interpret "00" as 1900. Some
people fear the glitch could shut down everything from power grids to ATM
machines, though most experts say that's unlikely.

Police in this Snohomish County city, population 10,600, aren't taking any
chances.

The department has bought surplus military gear for its 17 officers,
including plastic riot shields for $18 apiece, gas masks for $50 and helmets
for about $8. The city has stockpiled military rations and canvas tents.
Mill Creek police are also considering a $1,200 tear-gas gun that can shoot
canisters through windows or into crowds.

All this for a city whose only violent crime last year was a robbery.

Better safe than sorry, said Police Chief John Klei.

If ATMs stop working, if power goes out, "civil unrest" is a threat, Klei
said. "I think every community has the potential for that."

In Brier, population 6,300, police chief Gary Minor said he's more worried
about wild New Year's Eve parties.

"It could be the ugliest weekend on Earth," Minor said. "Normally you go to
a party, they may give you a lot of hubbub and guff, but you can usually
break it up.

"This is a little different. The year 2000 has a whole lot of hype and
hysteria associated with it, and that's when things are going to get out of
hand."

His eight-person department has spent about $1,000 to equip two officers to
train with the Allied Law Enforcement Response Team, or ALERT. Team members
are trained to respond to civil unrest following any major catastrophe.

Also training with the team are officers from Mill Creek and the larger city
of Everett, population about 84,000. Everett has spent about $20,000 to
outfit its officers with new protective equipment, said police spokesman
Elliot Woodall.

In Bellevue, 80 patrol officers are being trained in crowd control in
preparation for New Year's Eve, Capt. Todd Simonton said.

In Seattle, where unruly crowds are not uncommon, police are already trained
in crowd-control tactics and don't plan to buy any new gear, said Seattle
police spokeswoman Pam McCammon.