MONROE COUNTY, Michigan — The Monroe County Sheriff's Office increased its presence on roadways April 8 in anticipation of increased traffic due to the solar eclipse, and responded to a number of calls for service.
According to a press release issued by the sheriff's office Wednesday, authorities increased their presence due to the number of people who visited Monroe County Monday to witness the eclipse, which was very close to totality; in Michigan, Luna Pier was the only city in totality.
Eclipse-watchers also traveled from Monroe County into northwest Ohio to view the eclipse, impacting traffic. WTOL 11 reported Monday afternoon that travel times northbound between downtown Toledo and Monroe increased to over 90 minutes.
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To monitor the heavier traffic, 29 marked patrol units were stationed on the roadways between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. From 5 p.m. to midnight, 13 marked units were available for calls for service.
According to the sheriff's office, deputies stationed on roadways observed increased traffic as early as 9 a.m. Monday. Between 10 a.m. and midnight Monday, the sheriff's office responded to 130 calls for service. These were broken down into the following categories:
- 32 property damage incidents
- 13 disabled vehicles
- Seven injury accidents
- Five traffic-related complaints
- One drunk driving arrest
The sheriff's office did not say in the press release if the aforementioned traffic incidents were an increase from daily averages.
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