The Oregonian – by Maxine Bernstein
Violating the new ‘stay home’’ order issued Monday by Gov. Kate Brown is a class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail, a fine of up to $1,250 or both, but police and sheriffs’ officials across the state said they’ll work first to tell people about the new coronavirus restrictions before cracking down.
Brown pushed Oregonians to stay home except for essential work or buying food and similar supplies. She closed more businesses and said offices must allow people to do their jobs remotely if possible.
Portland Police Chief Jami Resch and Oregon State Police Superintendent Travis Hampson said their officers will issue criminal citations as a last resort, while hoping people will follow the order without law enforcement intervention.
“We recognize the Governor’s authority in an emergency declaration and we will do our best to educate our communities to protect their health,” Hampton said in a statement. “While citation and arrest authority provisions exist for violating the Governor’s directive, OSP views this as an undesirable last resort and we strive for voluntary compliance.”
Resch said Portland residents “are known for their care, cooperation and compassion and I am confident in our unified efforts to reduce the risk to our most vulnerable while leaving our first responders available for the urgent calls with life safety implications.”
Most public safety agencies are trying to avoid taking nonviolent offenders to jail to decrease jail populations and stem any spread of COVID-19 in the enclosed spaces. They also want officers free to focus on life-threatening emergency calls.
In Portland, officers will talk to violators while maintaining a 6-foot distance and issue a warning. If people don’t comply, they can be subject to a criminal citation for interfering with an officer or violating the public health order.
If Portland businesses don’t follow the order, they’ll also be given a warning and opportunity to meet the rules, police said. Officers may write a report about any violations and send the information to an appropriate licensing agency, such as the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.
Portland police asked that residents not call 911 to report violations of the order to allow officers to respond emergencies as needed.
Tillamook County Sheriff’s Lt. Gordon McCraw, leader of the county’s Incident Command Team responding to COVID-19, said simply presenting people with the knowledge that they can face a more than $1,000 fine or end up in jail for up to a month is typically enough to get people’s attention.
“We’re hoping we’ll gain compliance without having to take action,’’ he said.
Tillamook County’s Board of Commissioners acted Sunday to close parks and camping at privately owned, county, state and federal parks within its borders, except to people who live in the parks full-time and pay month-to-month. The county also closed hotels, motels, bed-and-breakfasts and short-term rentals that aren’t providing essential services. The county also closed boat launches to all but commercial fishers.
Tillamook County public safety officers put up barriers outside the Pacific City beach access lot after a report of a flood of people crowding there Sunday. They also closed beach access points and parking lots and added “No Parking Zones” on streets closer to the beaches.
At the Port of Garibaldi, for example, the lot was overrun with boats and cars without much social distancing occurring, McCraw said. So the county closed access to the boat launches.
“We’re not saying you can’t go fishing,” he said, “but you can’t use our boat ramps to do it.”
Kate Brown is a class A ‘C’
Traitor, people get the flu every year! You going to do this every year?
“We’re not saying you can’t go fishing,” he said, “but you can’t use our boat ramps to do it.”
Yea, I know this game. How about, ”we’re not saying you can’t walk around, we’re just saying you can’t walk around outside your house.”
Unfrigginbelievable….
“We recognize the Governor’s authority in an emergency declaration and we will do our best to educate our communities to protect their health,” Hampton said in a statement.
Idiot, the governor has no such “authority”! How do you “recognize” something that does not exist? That is like me saying I recognize the Easter Bunny’s right to deliver Easter Baskets on Easter morning.