Snowmass Village Police Chief Brian Olson warned town council members Monday against adopting ordinances in the future, simply to “send a message.”
“I would ask as your head law enforcement official that we be extremely cautious when we enact a law that comes with enforcement and fines, and we’re just merely trying to send a message,” Olson said during Monday’s Snowmass Village Town Council meeting. “That is not a good reason to enact an ordinance.”
The discussion occurred as councilors debated whether or not the town should continue to require individuals to wear masks, at all times — indoors and outdoors — in the town’s mandatory face-covering zones, which include the Snowmass Center, Base Village and the Snowmass Mall.
Ultimately, councilors favored keeping the mandatory face-covering zones intact, at least for the time being, and Olson also made clear that the Snowmass Village Police Department would continue to uphold the ordinance.
“I think this is the first time we’ve ever had an ordinance with a law and a fine that ... was trying to send a message and not really trying to effect a change or trying to address a real known problem,” Olson said. “If this becomes a way of thinking ... it gives me pause that we’re just trying to send a message by having a badge and gun show up.”
Police departments throughout the Roaring Fork Valley have supported “educating” individuals who are not wearing masks as opposed to actually enforcing the requirements with fines, unless absolutely necessary.
The town’s ordinance requiring individuals to wear face coverings was first put into place last summer but was later extended through the ski season. The ordinance was set to expire at midnight on April 20, had council not taken action Monday. However, council must still conduct a second reading of the face covering ordinance at its next meeting on April 5.
According to the town of Snowmass Village’s face-covering ordinance, first-time offenders could be fined $50 for not wearing a face covering and $100 for a second offense and a court summons for any subsequent offenses.
“Right now, there are a lot of people here from Texas, and Texas doesn’t have to wear masks anymore. And, as a result, people are coming here and they are getting lax about it and that, personally, makes me uncomfortable,” Councilor Alyssa Shenk said. “Even though [Olson’s] not sitting around enforcing, you know, all of these complaints that come in, that’s not the point.”
Shenk supported keeping the town’s mask mandate in place, at least for the time being, and working to align its expiration with the city of Aspen’s own face-covering ordinance’s expiration date too.
Like Snowmass, Aspen also requires individuals to wear face coverings — indoors and outdoors — within the city’s mandatory mask zone and outside of the zone when a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained from others.
Penalties for not complying with Aspen’s face-covering order could result in a $50 fine for first-time offenders, a $250 fine for a second offense and a fine of up to $2,650 and possibly “a sentence of up to one year in prison” for all subsequent offenses.
Aspen’s face-covering ordinance will remain in effect until May 1, but could also be extended.
Although not as stringent as Snowmass’ own face-covering ordinance, Pitkin County, the state, and even the federal government also have their own face-covering mandates in place too.
“I’ve seen people be very rude to the lift operators,” Councilor Tom Goode said of when the operators inform people to put on their masks. “I just hope the lift operators continue what they’re doing ... somewhat enforce it. Making minimum wage it’s hard to enforce anything.”
According to cdc.gov, “experimental and epidemiological data support community masking to reduce the spread” of COVID-19.
More than 530,000 people have died in the U.S. from COVID-19 and more than 2.6 million people have died from the virus worldwide.
“As a council our first responsibility is the health and safety of our community and this goes to that,” Councilor Tom Fridstein said. “We’re so close, let’s just keep it in place.”
The Link LonkMarch 18, 2021 at 04:00PM
https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/snowmass-police-chief-warns-council-about-laws-that-send-a-message/article_09172de0-878f-11eb-8d29-a345e703fb56.html
Snowmass police chief warns council about laws that ‘send a message’ - Aspen Daily News
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