Building off of the press release from Green County District Attorney Craig Nolen, the Monroe Police Department released a statement that they will not investigate complaints about alleged violations of the Mask Mandate.
Chief Kelley’s Full Statement:
The Green County District Attorney has made a legal decision that the Governor’s Masking Mandate Order is unenforceable. As such, the Monroe Police Department will not investigate complaints about alleged violations of that order. The City of Monroe does not currently have an ordinance that would call for enforcement action regarding not wearing a mask due to the COVID crisis.
Businesses and property owners are within their legal rights to require customers and staff to wear masks should they choose to do so. They can also legally request persons that refuse to wear a mask to leave their premises. If those persons refuse to do so, police could be called and could assist the property owner in removing the person. This could lead to the person refusing to leave being charged for that refusal.
Again, the Monroe Police Department will not be enforcing the Mask Mandate for these reasons. We would refer questions about that to the Green County District Attorney’s Office or the Governor’s Office. The Department would investigate complaints from businesses or property owners about persons refusing to leave premises who refuse to wear masks if required by those businesses or property owners.
Frederick A. Kelley, Chief
Monroe Police Department