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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsSome sheriffs are refusing to enforce virus safety orders
By Josh Israel -May 12, 2020 4:50 PM
'The impacts of COVID 19 no longer warrant the suspension of our constitutional rights,' stated a county sheriff in Washington state.
Shiawassee County Sheriff Brian BeGole, a Republican in central Michigan, announced on Monday that he and his deputies will not enforce Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order. He is the latest of a growing number of law enforcement officials who say they will simply ignore the social distancing rules instituted by governors and aimed at reducing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in their states.
"With limited resources, staffing and facilities, our priority focus will be on enforcing duly passed laws for the protection of Shiawassee County citizens," BeGole wrote in a letter posted to the Shiawassee County Sheriff's Office's official Facebook page. "I have decided, within my authority, that our office cannot and will not divert our primary resources and efforts towards enforcement of ... Governor Whitmer's executive orders."
Other sheriffs have in recent years taken it upon themselves to announce they will not enforce rules and laws they disagree with. The Southern Poverty Law Center notes the existence of a right-wing anti-government organization called the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, which claims to have backing from hundreds of sheriffs and says it is "the last line of defense standing between the overreaching government and your Constitutionally guaranteed rights." More recently, as states have enacted gun safety measures and red-flag laws to temporarily disarm those deemed a danger to themselves or others, some sheriffs have declared their communities to be "Second Amendment sanctuaries" where those laws will not be upheld.
Now, as right-wing activists mobilize to end stay-at-home orders and business closures, several sheriffs are standing in opposition to the orders of their governors.
https://americanindependent.com/sheriffs-coronavirus-safety-orders-enforcement-california-washington-covid-19/
These people are a threat to society.............they would arrest me in a heart beat for breaking the law, why aren't they being arrested.............
Wounded Bear
(58,440 posts)BGBD
(3,282 posts)with state police.
riversedge
(69,730 posts)are officers of the law, yet they discard the law. Who does that remind me of?? Trump, Barr--
We are and have been in deep trouble.
jmg257
(11,996 posts)ismnotwasm
(41,921 posts)Because they get paid with tax dollars, and if the government anywhere shrunk so small we couldnt afford cops, well, yeah. Out of a job.
I do understand some districts simply do not have the personal to enforce certain things. Olympic peninsula for instance is full of drugs and dealers.
But yeah. Cops that Pick and choose which laws to get to enforce is really frightening
dameatball
(7,380 posts)joined the union but received the benefits. Lifetime free healthcare. Good pension. He is a Trump supporter. As long as he got his he doesn't care. His attitude is that he has seen everything there is to see, knows all about human nature, likes authority figures, etc. Unreachable actually.
Fullduplexxx
(7,818 posts)Srkdqltr
(6,129 posts)How do they know which ones are virus carriers.
world wide wally
(21,719 posts)It can be loosely enforced as police simply remind people to keep their distance from each other. No big fucking deal.
D_Master81
(1,822 posts)He hasnt said anything on this, but in the past he has publicly said that he would not enforce any gun control measures passed.
machoneman
(3,954 posts)resistance. That and the 'good citizen' clause, one most of them follow, did and continues to make folks stay in line.
Ah, but by publicly announcing their non-compliance, their allegiance to Trump, the Republiscum party and ignorance of their old mantra, law and order, betrays them. Sad indeed they had to announce this terrible news to their citizenry.
So much for the rule of law, eh?
spanone
(135,637 posts)FirstLight
(13,352 posts)Living in a "tourist destination" with many second homeowners. The county has a ban on "non-essential travel" and the vacation rentals have been shut down as well as hotels. The city police are enforcing, but the county sheriffs are not...
Had a second homeowner across the street show up three weekends in a row, going back home to the Bay Area in between. I tried to call the sheriff and complain and the actual sheriff on duty called me back and said "yea, we're not enforcing that"
Apparently the head sheriff says it's unconstitutional...that property rights are more important than public health...no kidding, she actually said that!
when I wrote to the county supervisor for our district and asked about it. She said since the sheriff is elected, he doesn't answer to the county supervisors, but to the people/electorate.
I would love to be able to find out of this asshole is a member of that group.
I would also like to feel like I could trust them to keep us safe. we're fucked