Pop superstar Justin Bieber made an unexpected stop in the tri-state region last month because of mechanical problems with one of his tour buses. As it turns out, the detour might cost him a little extra.
Police Chief Robb Bell said on a typical Thursday night in Hamilton, Illinois, which has a population of about 3,100, there is one patrol officer on duty. But June 23 was far from a typical Thursday night.The radio story
Bell said four tour buses rolled into Hamilton about 6:00 in the morning following Bieber's performance in Des Moines, Iowa the night before.
"I was in contact with his security team," said Bell. "I advised them if they needed anything to contact us directly. We would help as much as we can. About 12 hours later, it hit social media and that's when everybody decided to go down and try to get a look at Justin Bieber being in town."
Bieber stayed in the "Hoffman Mansion," described on the website, AirBNB.com, as a 4-bedroom, 7-bathroom "small town palatial home." The cost to rent it is $10,000 a night.
Bell said more than 200 Beiber fans descended on the mansion, which is located along Highway 96, which created some traffic problems and safety concerns.
Bell called in his entire four-man department and the Illinois State Police to serve as crowd control. He said the crowd did cooperate, finding safe areas to wait for Bieber to make an appearance.
Bell said he had officers on the scene for about eight hours, racking up a bill of roughly $2,000 in overtime. Bell said that's a lot of money for his department.
"I assume [the city is] going to have to eat this money," said Bell. "The taxpayers will, but I did send a bill to [Beiber's] record label and tour manager."
Bell said he will wait and see if a check for $2,000 arrives. He said in the meantime, the experience prepared his department for future celebrity visits at the mansion.
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