SPD embarks on mask outreach effort

SANDPOINT — The Sandpoint Police Department announced on Wednesday a 30-day education and outreach effort regarding the mandatory usage of masks during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The department said it would on a case-by-case basis issue warnings to people who do not heed the Panhandle Health District's mask requirement, which was instituted earlier this month as coronavirus cases surged in the Panhandle.

The district's order requires the use of face masks in public places where the 6-foot social distancing guideline cannot be maintained. The requirement extends to businesses, government offices, parks, sidewalks and and public transportation.

"We have been following the lead of other communities around our state and beyond by in terms of a best-practice law enforcement approach," Chief Corey Coon said. "Most law enforcement agencies have taken the education approach and this is consistent with what we do when a new law comes out that citizens may not be fully aware, or adapted to. Think of recent laws around around texting while driving."

Coon said the Coeur d'Alene Police Department recently issued several citations to citizens who did not comply with their city's mask mandate. The prosecutor's office, however, dropped the charges as no warning or opportunity to comply with the mask mandate was given to the citizens involved.

"We will be issuing warnings and providing an opportunity to comply in Sandpoint," Coon said.

Mayor Shelby Rognstad also weighed in on the matter.

"As COVID-19 cases increase in Sandpoint, we strongly encourage all of our residents and visitors to stay apprised and follow public health advice and recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Panhandle Health," Rognstad said. "It is a matter of life and death for some of our most vulnerable community members, and others who don't view themselves as vulnerable but may impacted by long-term effects."

The city's statement comes as Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler announced his deputies would not be investigating violations of the Panhandle Health District order, leaving police police departments in Sandpoint, Ponderay and Priest River to enforce the order. Wheeler called the order unenforceable.

Bonner County Commissioner Steven Bradshaw, meanwhile, is advancing a resolution to withdraw funding from Panhandle Health as a result of the mask requirement. The resolution may be up for discussion when the board meets on Tuesday.