The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office has joined a growing list of law enforcement agencies who do njot plan to enforce Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s ongoing “stay-at-home” order, according to a social media post Saturday.
In the post, Sheriff Bill Prim says that the sheriff’s office doesn’t “have the capacity or desire to police individual behavior,” and that the department will not enforce the governor’s order as a criminal offense.
“We do not have the capacity or desire to enforce the governor’s orders,” Prim said. “The sheriff’s office does encourage residents to self-monitor and voluntarily comply with the orders.”
Several sheriff’s departments around the area have indicated that they will not enforce the governor’s orders, which prohibit gatherings and prohibit non-essential businesses from opening amid the coronavirus pandemic. Kendall County made a similar announcement on Wednesday, saying they will not “arrest or fine anyone” for violating the order.
Earlier this month, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department announced that it would not enforce the governor’s order requiring residents and business employees to wear masks when social distancing is not possible, calling it a “liability” issue.
“We have enough liability issues to worry about on a daily basis that this would just exacerbate the problem and I just don’t see it being legitimate,” Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey told The Center Square.
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Several other sheriffs, including those in charge of Douglas and Tazewell counties, have also said they will not enforce the stay-at-home order.
