Florida
US sheriff bans police officers from wearing masks on duty
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A policewoman with a mask – in Marion County in the US state of Florida that should only be seen in exceptional cases
© Orlando Sentinel/TNS/ABACA/ / Picture Alliance
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The police officers of the Marion district in the US state of Florida should not wear masks on duty – the sheriff has expressly ordered that. The ban on carrying also applies to visitors to the police department. But there are a few exceptions.
The state of the art is clear: masks help fight the coronavirus, masks save lives. Even if this knowledge was initially controversial at the beginning of the pandemic, it is now considered certain and largely accepted. But especially in the USA, wearing the mask has become a political issue: Many feel restricted in their freedom as citizens.
A sheriff in the United States has even introduced the opposite of a mask requirement: Billy Woods, who is supposed to ensure law and order in Marion County, Florida, has forbidden his employees to wear mouth and nose protection while on duty. This emerges from an email the sheriff sent to his subordinates and which is available to the US news broadcaster CNN. His instruction is unmistakable: “Masks are not worn.”
Mask ban for officers and visitors
There is no mask requirement in the state, only a recommendation. Employers and authorities can decide for themselves whether to require their employees to wear a mask. Sheriff Billy Woods has obviously decided against it. The instruction applies to all colleagues who are on duty and represent the office of sheriff – but also to visitors to the police department. They should remove their mask when entering the authority.
The sheriff cites security concerns as the reason. Against the background of the sometimes violent protests against arbitrary police force, “clear communication” is necessary. Only without a mask can every person entering the agency be identified. According to CNN, Woods does not explain in his memo why the officers should also do without masks.
So far, the police in Marion County have not worn mouth and nose protection – Sheriff Woods sees himself in his line. “Our case number of 900 employees has so far proven that the way we deal with this issue works,” he writes.
Woods does not seem quite so convinced of his approach, because he also formulates a few exceptions. In certain cases, his officers should wear a mask: in court, in schools, hospitals and when they come into contact with elderly people and members of risk groups on patrol.
Those: CNN
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