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ECSO Won’t Be Arresting People For Violating Stay-At-Home Order. ‘We Are Not In The Middle Of Martial Law,’ Sheriff Says
April 2, 2020
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office won’t be making arrests or traffic stops for violating the stay-at-home order issued Wednesday by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, but instead the department will focus on large group gatherings.
“‘It’s pretty much business as usual. So again, everybody calm down. You’re not going to be arrested for leaving your home,” Sheriff David Morgan said Wednesday. “You’re probably not even going to be stopped and questioned.”
“The bottom line is that we are not going to be doing traffic stops or roadblocks, because there are so many exemptions,” Escambia County Chief Deputy Chip Simmon told NorthEscambia.com. The governor’s order and associated documents contain pages and pages of essential services and other exemptions to the stay-at-home policy.
The governor’s order did specify that “senior citizens and individuals with a significant underlying medical condition (such as chronic lung disease, moderate-to-severe asthma, serious heart conditions, immunocompromised status, cancer, diabetes, severe obesity, renal failure and liver disease) shall stay at home.”
Morgan and Simmons said that is really good guidance that should be followed, but it too does not prevent people from leaving their homes.
“We are not in the middle of martial law. You are not going to be arrested for leaving your home. No one is telling you you can’t leave your home,” Morgan said.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office will be paying particular attention to the section of the order that prevent social gatherings of more than 10 people in any public space.
“We will look closest at the group gatherings,” Simmons said. “We may stop and say disperse.”
To read the governor’s order and see the exemptions and essential business types, click here.
Comments
20 Responses to “ECSO Won’t Be Arresting People For Violating Stay-At-Home Order. ‘We Are Not In The Middle Of Martial Law,’ Sheriff Says”
THANK YOU SIR
@stumpknocker it actually does concern me. Look on jail view and see what some of the charges are and research how long most stay in jail. I did not say just let them go without any charges. If they do not appear then they can come to jail and sit. Then it will still concern me and my profession.
First of all, I want to thank all of the medical people for what they are doing. As a former retired LEO, she is right. During times like this we do try and do notice to appears. The worst thing you could do right now is fill up the jails. Thank you for your service.
@Citizen
he is Morgans clone
I will keep saying it over and over
Our Governor failed us. It’s about politics and reelection folks
Wake up and let’s take care of each other
Good Easter is coming up i don’t want to be alone wr plan on having Easter at my daughter’s in McDadavid. And my grandsons birthday
@ ER RN why don’t to you take your case to the offenders and tell them to just stop what they are doing. You’d be the first one to complain if the matter at hand concerned you in any way.
I appreciate Morgan saying that. It is ridiculous to expect their department to stop every vehicle checking to ask where they are going. I would much rather they do their normal patrol and take calls for theft, assaults and everything in between.
If you feel the need to voice your feelings then I would suggest County Commissioner Underhill. Have you not seen him on the news wanting to open local restaurants and the beach? THAT needs to be openly criticized!
Sam is correct. Use a LITTLE common sense in this. Stay home unless you really need to go somewhere. This is all Morgan is saying. He’s not bound to arrest ANYONE for just being out. He can’t! It’s not martial law folks, it’s a request/order from the governor to stay home unless it’s essential for you to be out. Limit contact with others and wash your damned hands. Why is it so hard for this to be understood. Sheriff Morgan isn’t doing anything wrong(other than breathing if you ask some folks) It’s not a political agenda at all. Support your law enforcement guys and first responders who are out there in this crap. They’re the ones coming in contact with folks every day and the first to get exposed to this nasty virus. If you can do a better job than Sheriff Morgan can do, run for the office and prove it. You might just be surprised at how POORLY you’d do under even the best circumstances.
This what nothing but a pathetic attempt by a pathetic governor to keep the public off his case. I am not a fan of our sheriff but what he said is the truth. If you look at the essential services list, practically every business fits into one of those categories in some shape or form. Therefore just about everyone has an excuse to be out and about. And let’s give a huge hand to Mr. Underhill. You have to stand in awe of the stupidity on display from that one. If you want to reopen our beaches, you should make sure that you’re down there mingling with the crowds every day.
Why would he feel the need to say this. Way to undermine law and order Covidiot. Hie and Underhill are an embarrassment. Hope Chip is not as bad.
You mean to tell me, that cops AREN’T going to take this as another opportunity to needlessly arrest folks left and right in order to genereate revenue for the state? We’ll see…
Good job ECSO. A good thing people’s opinions are not law and no better than your opinion.
Please people read the order and the ‘EXCEPTIONS” in the order. It follows almost word for word the order put out by Trump. We had to pick up some med’s yesterday and the store was a mad house with people almost fighting over food items. Nothing in the order says you HAVE to stay home— just try to keep from being in the public. Besides where can you go? Use reason.
@ Sherry….so it’s okay for you to continue to go to Publix for your essential needs yet you chastise our Sheriff for trying to inform everyone what this order essentially means.If I want to get on my kayak and fish for supper….then I can do that and how is that hurting you. As long as I practice social distancing then I am fine; as well as those that want to ride their bikes or take a jog. There are so many exemptions to this order and basically they are really trying to get all folks to adhere to social distancing. Have you even bothered to read the exemptions! So why are you so annoyed that they are not going to pull everyone over that is on the road? Perhaps they too are going to your precious Publix for needs! It is ignorance on some and blatant disreguard on others part why this is spreading so rapidly because of not adhering to the directives that can help curb this situation. The Sheriff’s intent here is to merely inform of what exactly this means because some may not have the education or common sense to understand what is being said but all his haters are going to jump on a bandwagon and use this to verbally tear him down. SMH
What makes the sherriff think he can just tell everyone not to do what the governor says? Isnt the governor over the sheriff??? Him telling everyone just to carry on as normal and ignore the governor’s order should carry some kind of charge! He put out the order to try to save lives, not endanger more.
this is a common sense issue. having a proclamation from the governor just gives him an out if someone disobeying it runs afoul of the order. no one should expect to be stopped for going to the store, getting gas, or running errands. common sense folks.
Way to undermine even the insufficient, long overdue half-measures that are only now being put in place, Sheriff. What, does Ron DeSantis not support your political ambitions or something?
The Governors order applies to all Floridians. Not just senior citizens and immunosuppressed. It’s an unfortunate situation when the head of our local law enforcement agency feels the need to take to Facebook to say, no worries, I’m not enforcing measures to save your lives. Infect on! So continue to smear your cooties about escambia county, please stay out of Publix tho, that’s where I go for my essential needs.
Maybe stop arresting so many people for non violent crimes like, trespassing, driving with suspended license, minor possession and charges like that? I’m not saying let them off, give them a order to appear.