With Wood County under a mask mandate as of 6 p.m. today, Bowling Green Police Division is looking at its role as being educational – not enforcement.
Police Lt. Dan Mancuso said this morning that officers will respond to complaints of people not following the mask requirement. Officers will not be issuing fines, but they will be educating people about the new mask mandate.
“There are a lot of people who don’t follow the news,” Mancuso said. So they may not be aware of the state on Thursday declaring Wood County as under a Level 3 – Red alert for COVID-19.
At that level, county residents are required to wear masks when they go inside buildings of public use or outside in areas where they can’t maintain 6 foot of distance between others.
Mancuso said BGPD officers will be making sure people are aware of the requirement.
As for the officers themselves, Mancuso said all have been issued masks. However, their use is discretionary, since the state requirement provides an exemption for police, fire, EMS and first responders because masks could have a negative effect on communication with the public.
