Police car with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office file (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Local police aren’t going to ticket you for not wearing a mask anytime soon, despite a warning from Gov. Kate Brown Friday.
In a news conference last week, Brown said local law enforcement should enforce her mask mandates, meaning bare-faced people or those flaunting the 6-foot rule could be fined up at $500.
But local sheriff’s offices said they’re sticking with the approach they’ve taken since the beginning of the pandemic: education and seeking voluntary compliance.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Jeremy Landers said deputies will be getting a supply of sealed packets with face masks to hand out to those not wearing them.
He said the packets will also include information cards with guidance from the county’s Health and Human Services on how to help stop the spread of Covid.
Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton said his agency isn’t going to start citing people for not wearing masks. He said there hasn’t been any official guidance from the governor’s office directing local law enforcement to enforce her order.
Garton said the sheriff’s office isn’t going to take deputies away from responding to domestic violence calls, car crashes or other more serious calls.
“It’s not like we don’t have anything to do, we’re busy already,” he said. “There’s no way we’re going to respond to calls right now for people having parties.”
Brown’s spokesman, Charles Boyle, said officers already act as the party police, and should respond to gatherings that pose a public health risk.
“Local law enforcement officers routinely respond to public noise complaints for house parties and social gatherings—they can do the same for parties that pose a public health and safety risk,” he said in an email Friday.
But Garton said Polk County doesn’t have a noise ordinance and deputies don’t get called out to tell raucous partygoers to be quiet.
Boyle said the governor’s office expects law enforcement to set an example for the community, informing the public before resorting to handing out citations.
“Based on where we are now, though, it might be time for some citations to individuals be issued,” Boyle said.
Jason Myers, executive director of the Oregon Sheriff’s Association, said deputies will continue to refer those who don’t comply with health mandates to state regulatory agencies, such as the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“Sheriffs are continuing to take this approach as most sheriff’s offices have very limited resources and this seems to be the best approach given the current health crisis,” Myers said in an email.
City of Salem spokeswoman Kathy Ursprung said the city needed more time to consider the governor’s statements and how local police might respond.
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