Law enforcement in Washington County is doing their best to maintain business as usual while emphasizing the importance of residents doing their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In a joint statement, the Washington Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office stated that safety to the public remains their number one priority. Both offices are continuing to investigate cases and enforce laws. There have been some adjustments, including court trials being continued until at least June, and notices to appear for simple misdemeanors and traffic offenses are being set at least six weeks from the date issued.

Sheriff Jared Schneider said that screening procedures were put into place at the county jail to reduce the risk of exposure. All public fingerprinting and inmate visitation has been cancelled until further notice. Court hearings are being conducted over the video court system. And the daily inmate count has decreased from 68 in early March to 30 inmates as of April 13th.

Violation of the Governor’s orders for social distancing and limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people is a simple misdemeanor. Police Chief Jim Lester says local law enforcement does not plan to issue a lot of citations and focuses on educating the public on the orders. He says that his office and the sheriff’s department are echoing public health professionals and telling people to stay home. Lester writes, “We’re all in this together and the sooner we can help stop the spread, the sooner we can get things back to normal.”