Coronavirus: Bladen’s McVicker among 8 sheriffs who won’t enforce Cooper’s order

ELIZABETHTOWN — Bladen County Sheriff Jim McVicker, early Thursday evening, released a statement related to the executive order of Gov. Roy Cooper.

He’s at least the eighth sheriff to say he won’t enforce the order.

The governor’s order says businesses and organizations — not law enforcement — have responsibility for enforcement and can be cited if they do not. McVicker’s statement acknowledges Cooper saying it is not the job of the Sheriff’s Office to enforce it, but also indicates it will not be writing citations for businesses or organizations that don’t enforce it.

McVicker’s statement reads in part, “The order does not authorize law enforcement to arrest for failing to wear a mask.” And also, “The Bladen County Sheriff’s Office will not be enforcing the mask order and are relying on our citizens to use good judgment in determining when to wear a mask for their health, safety and well-being.”

The governor’s order says, with regard to law enforcement and face coverings, “Law enforcement personnel are not authorized to criminally enforce the Face Covering requirements of this Executive Order against individual workers, customers, or patrons.”

It also says, “Citations under this Section shall be written only to businesses or organizations that fail to enforce the requirement to wear Face Coverings. Operators of businesses and organizations are entitled to rely on their customers or patrons’ statements about whether or not they are excepted from the Face Covering requirements, and businesses and organizations do not violate this Executive Order if they rely on such statements.”

The order further says that, for example, if a worker, customer or patron enters and refuses to wear a face covering, the business or organization can ask them to leave. If they do not, trespassing or other laws could come into play involving charges filed by lawmen.

McVicker isn’t alone among sheriffs in taking such a stance. The sheriffs in Sampson and Halifax counties posted notices less than 24 hours after Cooper’s announcement Wednesday saying they would not enforce the executive order.

Other sheriffs known to have said they won’t be enforcing it are in Columbus, Craven, Beaufort, Alamance and Burke counties.