{"id":2458837,"date":"2020-05-26T02:24:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-26T08:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/as-health-orders-evolve-aspen-area-law-enforcement-prefers-light-touch\/"},"modified":"2020-05-26T06:02:27","modified_gmt":"2020-05-26T12:02:27","slug":"as-health-orders-evolve-aspen-area-law-enforcement-prefers-light-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/as-health-orders-evolve-aspen-area-law-enforcement-prefers-light-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"As health orders evolve, Aspen-area law enforcement prefers light touch"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"620\" height=\"413\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/sexassaults-atd-102418-1.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/sexassaults-atd-102418-1.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/sexassaults-atd-102418-1-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2018\/10\/sexassaults-atd-102418-1-325x216.jpg 325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Officials from the Aspen Police and Pitkin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office are expanding the investigation into alleged sexual assaults in the area, and have asked the FBI to assist.<\/strong><br \/><em>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times file photo<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">In normal times, cops in Aspen and Pitkin County generally are not the types to push people around and enforce order with a heavy hand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">During abnormal times, like a global pandemic, when enforcement of public health orders becomes part of job, the same philosophy applies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThis is not plainly, on the face of it, a police matter,\u201d Aspen Assistant Chief Bill Linn said. \u201cWe are doing community policing in this situation like every other situation. We\u2019re just not going to suddenly turn in to the strong arm of the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Alex Burchetta, director of operations at the Pitkin County Sheriff\u2019s Office, agreed, saying his agency\u2019s philosophy of first engaging and educating the public hasn\u2019t changed in the age of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s like anything else, right?\u201d he said. \u201cWe get tremendous success with compliance when we educate them about why (they\u2019re being contacted by deputies).<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cOften times people are confused. There are many moving parts to (the public health orders).\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Those long-standing policing philosophies, however, do not mean that local officers and deputies haven\u2019t been urged by members of the public since the beginning of the epidemic to take stronger action against those perceived to be violating public health orders, <a id=\"N0x2159c70N0x21d8810:N0x2159c70N0x215bd88\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/state-approves-pitkin-county-variance-phase-2-reopening-to-start-wednesday\/\">which will change again Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">From the last week of April through the end of last week, Aspen police received 144 calls from people reporting perceived violations, according to department statistics. Sheriff\u2019s Office numbers go back a month further \u2014 to the end of March through end of last week, when the department handled 76 calls for possible coronavirus-related code violations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThey\u2019re seeing everything,\u201d Linn said of Aspen police officers. \u201cSomebody passed by too close on the trail with no face mask. A lot of groups that are too large, usually including kids. People not social distancing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Most of those 144 APD calls, however, have not involved wanton belligerence, and are usually solved amicably, Linn said. Others involve situations that police are not going to wade into and make heavy-handed choices, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Officers might encounter a situation, for example, where social distancing is not occurring in one of the city\u2019s parks, Linn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe know that\u2019s technically a violation,\u201d he said. \u201cBut can we, in good conscience, chase them out of there?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re all in a situation where life is hard and we\u2019re all limited with regulations. It\u2019s too much (sometimes), so we don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen Officer Kirk Wheatley agreed with his boss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI don\u2019t think any law enforcement officer feels like this is a law enforcement situation to go out and enforce,\u201d Wheatley said. \u201cWe just try to go out and educate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That is not to say that local law enforcement won\u2019t uphold public order, Linn and Burchetta said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Aspen police have made five arrests since the beginning of the epidemic for public health order violations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">One involved a man in mid-March near the base of Aspen Mountain spitting on railings and yelling at people that he had COVID-19; the <a id=\"N0x2159c70N0x21d89f0:N0x2159c70N0x215c448\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/spitter-fighters-keep-aspen-cops-busy-over-weekend\/\">same man was later forcefully arrested<\/a> at Carl\u2019s Pharmacy after spitting on an officer. Another man, fed up with virus-related \u201cparanoia,\u201d <a id=\"N0x2159c70N0x21d8a50:N0x2159c70N0x215c4d8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/coronavirus-stress-leads-aspen-man-to-cough-in-womans-face\/\">coughed in a woman\u2019s face<\/a> on a local trail in late March after she asked him to give her more space as they passed one another, according to the police report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The other three were minor, alcohol-involved arrests \u2014 two were the same person \u2014 that would have been made whether the pandemic was occurring or not but also included breaking the health order, Linn said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019re here to support the public health order,\u201d Linn said. \u201c(In any situation) we will weigh the public health interests, the context of the law and also the kind of community we are and the kind of police force we are.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWhat we\u2019re hoping for and what we are encouraging (the county Public Health Department) to do is make regulations as reasonable as possible to accomplish their goals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">County deputies have been busy with similar, though fewer, face mask and social distancing complaints, Burchetta said. Early on, several people also called to report out-of-state license plates in connection with possible short-term rental violations. The agency continues to have problems with people violating the closure order at Penny Hot Springs on Highway 133 outside Carbondale, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Deputies also repeatedly have been called to Mollie Gibson Park at the base of Smuggler Mountain, which is located in Pitkin County, about people not observing social-distancing rules and parking complaints, Burchetta said. The park frequently has been full of people as the days have grown warmer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s largely an education campaign,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County deputies have not written one ticket for public health order violations, Burchetta said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">That hasn\u2019t stopped the calls for heavier enforcement, however.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">At Thursday\u2019s Board of Health meeting, Pitkin County Commissioner Greg Poschman wondered what good public health orders are if no one is going to enforce them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cEnforcement is a huge issue,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need law enforcement and others perhaps to do more to enforce these rules.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Fellow Board of Health member Tom Kent bemoaned the lack of mask-wearing by \u201c20- and 30-year-olds\u201d and announced that he wanted to report groups of said offenders regularly gathering at the John Denver Sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs a senior citizen, I\u2019m offended about 20- and 30-year-olds not wearing masks,\u201d Kent said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Board of Health Chairwoman Markey Butler \u2014 who also serves as mayor of Snowmass Village \u2014 neatly summed up the issue of enforcement while objecting Thursday to proposed lodging rules she said punished her town.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cHow are you gonna enforce daily (lodging caps)?\u201d Butler asked. \u201cWho\u2019s gonna be out patrolling daily lodging?<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s not gonna be our police department.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Pitkin County Manager Jon Peacock said the county is in the midst of building a staff who will serve as compliance officers and offer guidance to various sectors, such as restaurants and lodging, on coronavirus-related rules as public health orders evolve.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On Wednesday, <a id=\"N0x2159c70N0x21d8c30:N0x2159c70N0x215cef8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/pitkin-county-approves-groups-up-to-50-with-next-weeks-health-order-restaurant-dine-in-service-near-certain\/\">phase 2 of the county\u2019s \u201cRoadmap to Reopening\u201d<\/a> begins with lodging allowed to open at 50% capacity with a COVID-19 safety plan in place. Restaurants can open but indoor seating capacity should be limited by physical distancing requirements or 50% of facility capacity, whichever is more restrictive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cVoluntary compliance and education is better,\u201d Peacock said. \u201cIt\u2019s really about all of us working together to prevent the spread of the virus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Still, fines and jail can be imposed in extreme cases, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">And while he noted that the county\u2019s compliance officers will need the help of police and deputies to help enforce future health orders, it\u2019s really up to the public to practice social distancing and hygiene, wear a mask in public where social distancing is not possible and isolate and get tested if COVID-19 symptoms become apparent, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">If a Pitkin County or Aspen resident or visitor with symptoms doesn\u2019t have a primary physician who can order a COVID-19 test, they can call Aspen Valley Hospital at 970-279-4111 to get one. Tests are being paid through insurance, though if a resident or visitor cannot pay, the test will be free, Peacock said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe need the community to help us police this,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to hold each other accountable as a community, and we need to hold ourselves accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:jauslander@aspentimes.com\">jauslander@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/as-health-orders-evolve-aspen-area-law-enforcement-prefers-light-touch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Officials from the Aspen Police and Pitkin County Sheriff&#8217;s Office are expanding the investigation into alleged sexual assaults in the area, and have asked the FBI to assist.Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times file photo In normal times, cops in Aspen and Pitkin County generally are not the types to push people around and enforce order with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2458837","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-28 12:12:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458837"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2458839,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458837\/revisions\/2458839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}