WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. – The state’s new mask mandate has many again questioning how far enforcement will go.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office says you shouldn’t worry about one of its officers putting you in cuffs for not wearing one.
The department posts on its Facebook page that while violating the order is a criminal misdemeanor, it wouldn’t be practical for deputies to arrest people for violating it.
The state Secretary of Health has said the orders are “not a mandate for law enforcement to detain, cite or arrest violators.”
And the sheriff’s office points out that it’s deputies have not arrested anyone for violating the orders since they were first issued in 2020.
Another reason they’re not booking those charged with simple misdemeanors is a current COVID-19 outbreak at the Whatcom County Jail.
The Sheriff’s office says both inmates and staff are affected and it’s been a challenge to separate those who test positive from others who haven’t been affected by the illness.
They say the jail is operating with a higher level of vigilance.
The Sheriff’s office says some have also asked why they haven’t declared the governor’s mask order unconstitutional.
Their response is that, under Washington law, the courts, and not law enforcement, have the authority to decide the constitutionality of executive orders.