BEDFORD, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine’s order to mask up in several counties where coronavirus numbers are on the rise, including Cuyahoga County, is a hot topic.
Now, there are a growing number of area police departments that will not be responding to calls about people not wearing face masks.
In Bedford, 34 police officers patrol the streets around the clock, answering calls. The department took to Facebook when the mandatory mask requirement took effect in Cuyahoga County last week.
They asked residents not to overwhelm 911 emergency dispatchers with calls about non-mask-wearing residents.
The order is enforced by local health departments, said Bedford Deputy Chief Rick Suts.
Under the Ohio Revised Code, police officers do have the authority to enforce it.
“We do have the authority to enforce health department orders, but there is no clear statute that we are supposed to cite under. It just says we have the authority,” explained Suts.
“The Attorney General needs to come out with a clear set of directions for law enforcement agencies of what the state expects from us and we haven’t gotten that,” he added.
But, in Bedford, police will respond to calls about masks at local businesses.
"A local business has the right to refuse service to anyone, it is their business and if someone refuses to wear a mask or refuses to leave that is when they call the police and we will enforce that. We will arrest them for trespass, but we don’t want to be in that position,” said Suts.
If you have a concern about someone not wearing a mask in Cuyahoga County, the county has set up a hotline for complaints. That number is 216-698-5050.
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