News Photo by Julie Riddle Michigan State Police troopers at the Alpena Post bring their weapons to be examined at the annual MSP district inspection Wednesday.

ALPENA — Troopers in straightened hats and well-polished boots lined up in a back garage at the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post on Wednesday, ready to hand over their guns.

The post’s annual district inspection, held Wednesday at post on West Washington Avenue, included a check of every weapon used by every officer at the post. Radios, sirens, first aid kits, and portable defibrillators were subject to a thorough once-over by the inspection team, made up of commanders and detectives from posts across northern Michigan, as well as the district commander.

If inspections were not completed annually, troopers might go years without cleaning their guns, Alpena Post Commander 1st Lt. John Grimshaw said. That would pose a safety risk to both the officer and the community.

Inspections are designed to catch even the smallest flaw in a post’s operations, ensuring the police force is doing its utmost to serve the community.

In a bare conference room, a black-suited inspector worked slowly through a stack of folded yellow papers, spot-checking to be sure juvenile offender records are being properly handled.

In the back parking lot, a siren wailed for a moment and red dome lights twirled, uniformed inspectors sliding in and out of front seats to make sure vehicles that transport troopers and residents are ready to offer safe rides.

Everything at the post is open to inspection at the annual visit, Grimshaw said. Financial records are meticulously checked, each supply purchase and credit card payment accounted for.

Troopers’ actions through the past year as they followed up on complaints and made traffic stops are laid bare for inspecting eyes to evaluate, a detective offering an outside evaluation on whether correct charges have been sought and investigations properly pursued.

In the property room, the paper trail for each piece of evidence is examined, reviewers clearly able to see the full chain of custody as evidence moved from suspect to lab to courtroom.

The annual inspection by district command, interspersed with every-three-years state-level inspections, requires posts to present a use-of-force report, on which every police interaction requiring the use of any kind of force is recorded in detail. Data from stun guns is downloaded to a police database any time the weapon’s use is required, verification that could be crucial in court, said Lt. Derrick Carroll, public information officer for the MSP 7th District that includes Northeast Michigan.

The Alpena Post has historically done well in its annual inspections, according to 7th District Commander Michael Caldwell, who said he was seeing the same high level of performance in Wednesday’s evaluation.

Regular inspections ensure troopers across the state are all at the same level of preparedness, both to work within their communities and to be prepared for mobilization anywhere in the state, Caldwell said.

“We look at all the expenses, all the purchases, we look at every piece of evidence, every firearm, every narcotic that’s been taken in as evidence,” Caldwell said. “We look at everything to make sure everything is exactly like it should be, top to bottom.”

The inspection, Carroll said, is about safety and transparency.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.