MCPD ‘Will Not Randomly Stop Community Members’ Under ‘Stay at Home’ Order

Montgomery County Police Department issued a statement in response to Gov. Larry Hogan’s “Stay at Home” order enacted in Maryland Monday.

Under Hogan’s order, Marylanders who leave their homes for nonessential reasons and congregate in large groups can receive jail time or a fine of up to $5,000 for not adhering to the state’s efforts to enforce physical distancing.

Here’s MCPD’s statement about how it will enforce the executive order:

 With the latest Executive Order from Governor Hogan requiring residents to stay home unless they need to go out for essential services or are employees working with a business providing essential services, many concerns have been expressed regarding our response.

The Montgomery County Department of Police are taking the following steps with regard to our enforcement of the Governor’s Order and our response to crime and calls for service:

• We will not randomly stop community members for compliance checks of the Governor’s orders.
• If we encounter people via a traffic stop, police call for service, investigations or a gathering of individuals, we will inquire if individuals are in compliance with the Governor’s Order.
• Crimes are still occurring in the county and we are responding and investigating incidents.  Serious crimes are taking priority and we are asking for the public’s patience as we investigate lesser crimes but note we are investigating them.  Vehicle collisions are still occurring and we are encouraging the community to drive safely, slow down and be aware of all pedestrians.
• We have developed a staffing plan to have sufficient police officers ready to respond 24/7 and patrol our streets to protect life and property during this crisis.
• Per Montgomery County policy, officers will not ask any community members of their immigration status.

The Montgomery County Department of Police will continue to evaluate the rapidly evolving situation and review our approaches and make changes as needed to ensure compliance with Governor Hogan’s Executive Order.

About Deirdre Byrne

Deirdre Byrne is a social media coordinator for Montgomery Community Media. She can be reached at dbyrne@mymcmedia.org or on twitter at @DeirdreByrneMCM.

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