KALAMAZOO, MI When the far-right Proud Boys clashed with counterprotesters in downtown Kalamazoo last month, police were not in sight.

The confrontation turned violent before police got there.

Being on the scene and keeping protesters and counterprotesters separated is one of the most important tips for police agencies handling these sorts of encounters where tensions run hot between competing groups, according to national experts and various studies.

When police are in a position of trying to catch up and stop violent acts from occurring, that just makes for a bad situation, Frank Straub, director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the National Police Foundation, told MLive.

Policing experts, contacted by MLive this week, said police can take several steps, while affording First Amendment rights, to discourage violence in these situations.

Among them:

Experts in policing protests and riots say keeping opposing groups separated is among the most important goals for police.

This was the key lesson learned in Charlottesville, Edward Maguire, associate director for the Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety at Arizona State University, told MLive.

He was referring to the 2017 confrontation in Charlottesville, Virginia, pitting white nationalists and neo-Nazis against counterprotesters and civil-rights activists. Early on, police stayed on the sidelines as fights broke out.

Before it was over, a woman was killed and 19 injured when a man drove into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Those same experts also point out that policing these clashes is not easy.

Protesters, experts say, appear to be more willing to engage in violence than in years past. Pop-up groups are springing up all over. The country is so polarized, there is little middle ground.

Some groups try to hide information about themselves as well as communication among members.

These types of events are orders of magnitude more difficult for police for a variety of reasons, Maguire said in an email exchange.

Many of the counterprotesters seem to come from outside the communities where these events take place, so it is difficult for police to establish relationships with them ahead of time . The fact that some of them are armed with less-lethal or lethal weapons makes these events more dangerous and anxiety-promoting for police.

Sometimes, groups try to outflank police or take unpredictable routes that make it difficult for police to anticipate where they are going to be and when, he said.

Police are reasonably concerned about threats to their own safety during these very chaotic events where extremists on the left and the right can easily end up triggering violence.

He said it is critical that police have good intelligence on when and where events are going to take place.

Kalamazoo police had been tracking Proud Boys since July. The night before the rally, police determined that Proud Boys were in town, staying at area hotels.

The Proud Boys were thought to be planning to show up at 2 p.m. Aug. 15. A Kalamazoo pastor obtained a permit for a prayer vigil for that morning at Arcadia Creek Festival Place to counter their presence.

The Proud Boys showed up a half-hour early. Marching down East Water Street, they were met by protesters. Both sides had armed participants as fighting began.

Police had surveillance from officers in an unmarked car and the seventh floor of a building for an aerial view. Someone radioed that 200 Proud Boys members were headed toward the other group. An investigator said in a police report that a counterprotester with a club ran at the Proud Boys, as if to incite a violent response.

Fighting ensued.

Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas has said 111 officers from five police agencies were ready to respond but they were minutes away when the trouble started.

Police had expected that Arcadia would be the scene of any trouble but had surveillance in several areas. The operational plan called for police to stay in the background - be less visible - and respond if trouble broke out. Thomas said that a large-scale police presence on its own can lead to a contentious situation.

She said the tactic, begun after a June 1 protest that ended in civil unrest, has worked at protests until the Proud Boys came to town. The department also faced criticism for how it responded to the June protest, held in the wake of George Floyds death in Minneapolis, with some in the community questioning the use of tear gas and other tactics used to disperse protesters.

Such gatherings are unpredictable, Thomas said.

Its human dynamics and people are trying to make it seem like it was a simpler situation than it was, she said previously. It was anything but that.

The Proud Boys early arrival was a factor in how events played out, Thomas said.

She has observed similar incidents across the country. No response is perfect. What works one day might not work another, she said earlier.

Thomas could not be reached for comment specifically for this story.

This is a new era for us in responding to such events and we are continually learning from them and trying to listen and make change so we can keep this community safe, Thomas said previously.

On the day of a protest or rally, police need a plan to keep the sides apart to prevent violence, experts say. Police also have to ensure the law is applied equally.

In Kalamazoo, police arrested 10 people, including an MLive reporter and legal observer, though charges were dismissed in most cases. Thomas later apologized for the reporters arrest.

Critics were upset that no one associated with the Proud Boys was arrested.

There is a growing narrative in the U.S. right now that police are aligned with right-wing groups, Maguire said.

That perception is harmful for police legitimacy. Police must ensure that they are perceived as content neutral to establish or preserve legitimacy. That content neutrality is required under the First Amendment.

The 2015 Presidents Task Force on 21st Century Policing addressed police response to mass demonstrations after rioting followed police shootings of unarmed Black men. It was part of an overall strategy to improve relations of police and the communities they serve.

Among the recommendations: Law enforcement agencies should create policies and procedures for policing mass demonstrations that employ a continuum of managed tactical resources that are designed to minimize the appearance of a military operation and avoid using provocative tactics and equipment that undermine civilian trust.

When police look like theyre in a military formation with riot gear, it can have a dramatic influence on how they are perceived and how events turn out, the report said.

Straub, the director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies and former Spokane, Washington, police chief, has conducted critical incident reviews for events such as the San Bernardino terrorist attack and Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting.

He said many cities are having to prepare for fringe groups, protests and counterprotests.

Its really a very difficult dynamic going on across the country, he said.

Back in 1998, the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in Kalamazoo. An 8-foot chain-link fence and a line of police officers in riot gear kept the Klan away from others who showed up. Former City Commissioner Zadie Jackson recalled it turned into a non-event because no one really reacted to the Klans presence.

In a sense, it was easier to prepare for groups like the KKK, Straub said.

So many almost pop-up groups have been created that the rules and understanding have gone by the wayside. Some of these groups there are no rules and theyre not going to follow any rules, he said.

Now were seeing pop-up protests, with disparate groups showing up, with a much higher level of violence. It is really challenging for police, and I would say incredibly dangerous for the community. In a heated situation, police are caught in the middle. Not just in Kalamazoo, but across the country.

He said demands that a police chief be fired or city commissioners be recalled which has happened in Kalamazoo are not helpful. Rather, he said, residents should push for better policies. It is a challenge. Community members can be traumatized. Police officers, too.

Straub said police and city leaders should be very transparent about what they did and why they did that. Share what worked and didnt work and what they will do in the future.

Read more:

Kalamazoo police chief responds to criticism of handling of Proud Boys rally

City review of police response to Kalamazoo Proud Boys rally finds areas for improvement

None of them saw a single repercussion, counter-protester says of Proud Boys who rallied in Kalamazoo

Army veteran says Proud Boys broke his nose and hand in Kalamazoo

Activists say Kalamazoo blew it with preliminary report on police response to Proud Boys rally

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Police need to keep opposing protest groups separated, experts say after Proud Boys rally - MLive.com