KCPD might not arrest you for defying the stay home order, but may ask you to go home
For the duration of the stay at home order beginning at midnight Tuesday, police officers will continue to respond to 911 emergency calls, Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said during a news conference Monday.
Police will not be seeking to arrest people accused of violating the order, Smith said, but they may ask people to go home if they seem to be causing a public health problem.
“I know that is a fear for a lot of people that in situations like this the government is going to take control of everything,” Smith said. “We are asking people to take some personal responsibility to stop the spread of the virus.”
Those measures include remaining home and leaving only to pick up groceries or prescriptions from a pharmacy.
The order will be in effect until April 24. Similar orders have been issued across the Kansas City region, in Johnson, Wyandotte, Clay, Platte and Cass counties.
The enforcement of the stay at home does not fall under the authority of the police department. Potential violations should be reported to the city’s 311 Call Center and not 911. Once a possible violation is reported, either regulated industries or the Kansas City Fire Marshal’s office would visit the location and ask the responsible party to comply with the order.
Smith said it was important that residents not tie up the 911 emergency dispatch center with such reports.
“What everyone needs to realize is that the order is here is that we try to stop the spread of a virus,” he said. “What we are asking people to have some civic responsibility and not be based on enforcement.”
Officers will continue to respond to emergency calls, with minor adjustments that may be made depending on the call, Smith said.
Some calls, such as property crimes, may be handled over the phone. Officers will ask individuals to remain six feet back, and when responding to a residence they may ask the individual to step outside rather than have the officer go inside.
There are no plans for officers to immediately arrest anyone who violates the order, Smith said.
“Someone is causing a public safety concern to others then I could see us getting engaged,” he said. “But that engagement might be, ‘Hey we want you to go home,’ -- it may not be an arrest. ‘Hey go home and self-quarantine.’ We take it on a case by case basis.”
Officers have been issued safety masks, hand sanitizer and other equipment but they also need other items such as temporal scanner thermometers.
The police department is working with local and federal agencies through the Office of Emergency Management to secure personal protective equipment. Local businesses and individuals have donated hand sanitizers and food.
“At this time I think what we all want to do is to stop the spread,” Smith said. “They talk about flattening the curve and making it safe for all of us as a community. If all of us do that together, the chances of us getting out of this quicker and the less damage done.”
“Stay at home and watch your Netflix and let’s not try and spread the virus. That is what this is all about,” he said.
