Washington Police Chief Clarifies Enforcement of Governor's Mask Order

PULLMAN, Washington -- Pullman Police Department Chief Gary Jenkins stated in a news release Friday that police have responded to about a dozen complaints about parties at residences, mostly on College Hill, involving people without face masks in the past two weeks.

He said police expect that number to increase as more Washington State University students arrive in Pullman. Jenkins said this poses a health risk to the community and will be a focus for enforcement by the department.

Friday’s statement came two days after a similar release, in which Jenkins outlined potential penalties for violating mask and social-distancing regulations in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Whitman County Public Health director has expressed concerns about the impact to public health from large gatherings without masks and social distancing,” Jenkins wrote. “We would be negligent by allowing these parties to continue. With respect to enforcement, we will consider the circumstances of each situation. Continually educating and warning the same individuals will not be effective to achieve compliance.”

Jenkins said that in regard to enforcing Gov. Jay Inslee’s proclamations regarding face masks and gatherings, the police will focus on the parties and less on individual violators.

“Officers will not be patrolling to look for individual violations,” he wrote. “Mask enforcement will only occur in extreme circumstances, after a complaint is received and an individual is given every opportunity to comply, following education and warning. We will focus our efforts on parties that present the greatest potential impact to public health.”

Jenkins said he does not believe anyone should spend a day in jail for a mask violation and would be surprised if any individual mask citation is issued.

“Again, our focus is parties/gatherings,” he wrote. “My staff does not want to issue any citations/infractions. It is my hope that everyone will respect our community and comply with proclamation requirements, especially with respect to parties/gatherings.”

He stated that final penalties in criminal cases are determined by a judge. A charge with a maximum potential penalty of a $5,000 fine and 365 days jail could be adjudicated with a small fine, or no fine at all, and no jail.

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