Dodge Co., WI – The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has seen the press release from the Governor and the Sheriff would like to provide the citizens of our county feedback after careful analysis of the mandate. Our on-duty staff will be directed to comply with the mask mandate with the understanding that several exceptions permit them to not always have a mask on.
They will also be asked to voluntarily comply with the order while off duty. Voluntary compliance by the public is of course the avenue we have asked of our citizens in all matters during the pandemic and that has not changed. We encourage everyone to take precautions to keep themselves and others safe. We also understand and recognize different viewpoints and we are doing everything we can to protect people from becoming sick, while also protecting the individual rights of our citizens.
The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office has identified some significant challenges for enforcement of this mandate, as there are once again many loopholes, which are open to interpretation. Furthermore, there are medical reasons and other legitimate reasons why someone may not be required to wear a mask and we must be aware of that as well. Finally, there are certainly concerns with other legalities.
In fact, Governor Evers guided the public on what to do if you see someone not wearing a mask. The Governor’s guidance is that you should do nothing as some people have conditions or circumstances that would make wearing a cloth face-covering difficult or dangerous. He advises to just wear your mask and stay six feet away.
As a result of the legal difficulties with this order, the limited staffing we have available to enforce the mandate, and the Governor’s direction that the public should do nothing if they see someone not wearing a mask, we are asking that you NOT contact the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office to report incidents where someone is not wearing a mask. Dodge County Sheriff’s Deputies will not be responding to or investigating these incidents.
Thank you for your time and everyone to please be safe and stay healthy.
Questions may be directed to Sheriff Dale J. Schmidt.