“The problem that we have is even though it is called shutdown, it still allows people the ability to move about … grocery shop, take care of family and stuff, so there is no way to know with a car driving down the street what their intention is. So that’s not enforceable.”
Dwyer said the department is hopeful “citizens use common sense and do the right thing.”
He said complaints about businesses opening improperly or people ordered under quarantine who are not staying put will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
“This is an unknown for us, so until we get farther along we really don’t know where this is going to go,” Dwyer said.
Deputies have responded with health department officials in several cases for reports of people who did not follow quarantine orders from the health department. There have also been reports of possibly too many cars in a restaurant’s parking lot, with callers concerned the bar or restaurant might not only be serving carry-out.
“I am not planning on going in and inventorying how many people it takes to cook food at a restaurant,” Dwyer said.
Middletown Police Chief David Birk also said his department would not be stopping vehicles on the street and have taken measures to separate groups of officers in the police station to keep them healthy.
“I’m telling my officers when it comes to traffic stops, it has to be a blatant reason, we have to have a call,” Birk said. “We are telling our officers to be smart. Not being as proactive as they once were just taking things as they come instead of going out and really searching as much as we have.”
He said calls for service were down last week as the stay-at-home order went into effect.
Birk said people and businesses who violate the order can be charged with a second degree misdemeanor under Ohio law, which mandates residents follow rules set by the health department.
Hamilton Sgt. Richard Burkhardt said his department will be working closely with the health department if there are any complaints about businesses opened that are ordered shuttered. He said they have checked on a complaint about a bar serving customers, but it was unfounded.
“We aren’t going to be stopping people driving down the street or driving down the street,” he said.
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