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REBUTTAL: Enforce some facts

| May 20, 2020 4:00 PM

In the May 17 edition of the Press, John Heyden wrote a letter critical of Sheriff Wolfinger’s published letter to Gov. Little.

My response is not so much a defense of Sheriff Wolfinger as it is a challenge to Mr. Heyden’s assertions. Mr. Heyden sarcastically chided the sheriff for not being a medical professional, yet he criticized Wolfinger’s law enforcement positions. Unless Mr. Heyden has a law enforcement background, that’s the cat calling the kettle black.

Secondly, it is not the “governor’s law.” It is an order. Laws are passed by the legislature via a process. No such process occurred here.

The governor’s order is unenforceable, both factually and legally. Deputies simply cannot legally round up everybody with a Washington license plate and see to it that they are quarantined for 14 days. It’s not practical. It’s not legal. How does Mr. Heyden suggest how and who monitors that process?

Finally, the balance of Mr. Heyden’s snarky letter just demonstrates his disdain for law enforcement, and the “death toll of civilians vs. deputies” is as it should be. Civilians shouldn’t engage in armed conflict with law enforcement.

CHRIS SULLIVAN

Coeur d’Alene