Local Municipalities Don’t Find Public Policing Helpful

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic being an unprecedented event, not everyone shares the same viewpoint on social distancing and how it's defined. Many local municipalities, including East Wenatchee, have been receiving complaints and calls questioning certain stores' actions.

"I understand when people reach out why they are," said East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford. "Most everybody is reaching out and expressing concerns because they care."

According to Mayor Crawford, many folks have called into the city to voice complaints about a business not having a plexiglass or doing something a resident believes isn't proper public safety protocol.

"We're already aware of many of those, and although I appreciate people letting us know is going on, the public policing isn't actually helpful to us," said Mayor Crawford.

She noted that if it is directly affecting public, health safety that is the filter being used for complaints. Calls about unfairness because some businesses are open and some aren't, are not deemed helpful, though Mayor Crawford understands the point.

"Yes, there's a lot of unfairness in this whole situation in that some businesses can do something that maybe another can't. It doesn't feel fair and I agree," said Mayor Crawford. "If it is significantly affecting a public safety piece, that is absolutely the filter we have to use."