Snohomish County sheriff says he won't enforce Washington state's stay-home order

[Mrs. Overall]

Source: The Seattle Times

Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney said he believes Gov. Jay Inslee's stay-home order is unconstitutional and he won't enforce it.

In a post on his Facebook page Tuesday night, Fortney said he was worried about the economy and residents' ability to make a living. "I believe that preventing business owners to operate their businesses and provide for their families intrudes on our right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," he wrote, paraphrasing the Declaration of Independence. "As your elected Sheriff I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion."

Fortney argued that the stay-home order, which aims to slow the spread of the coronavirus by barring people from gathering, violates Washingtonians' First Amendment rights to religious exercise and peaceable assembly.

The post, Fortney wrote, was prompted by a Tuesday evening news conference in which Inslee laid out a road map for reopening Washington's economy that could soon allow the return of some elective surgeries, outdoor recreation and construction projects. The governor stressed that the timing of that reopening will depend on the state's progress on key public-health indicators.

Read more: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/snohomish-county-sheriff-says-he-wont-enforce-inslees-stay-home-order/

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In Snohomish County, 2,152 people have been confirmed to have COVID-19, including 99 who have died, according to the state Department of Health.

Snohomish County is home to the United States' first known case of the novel coronavirus, a man who was diagnosed in mid-January and has since recovered.

Here is the number of the Snohomish County Sheriff's office: [phone]

[Botany]

1. Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney

aka Fox News watcher

[Lonestarblue]

2. Then arrest him for violating government orders.

[Botany]

8. Sadly (although I might be wrong) what we see in the sheriff and others is the result of Reagan ...

... getting rid of the fairness doctrine and now fro 2.5 generations we have had a large
% of Americans bathed in toxic misinformation. No that misinformation might kill off
America because Trump was put into the White House by Russia and 63 million (I think
the figure is lower and Vlad Fed w/the vote) idiots who thought stopping Hillary would
be a good thing because she was d**e b***h with a liberal agenda.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

31. He's both a doctor and a constitutional scholar.

He must hold a position which is elected. I thought the judicial system was the only one which could declare a law or order unconstitutional.

[maxrandb]

75. Don't you know sherrifs are the most powerful folks in our Constitution?

I think it's Article 69... I heard it on Faux News and Hate Radio.

[liberalmuse]

41. Sadly, I live in this county.

But the good news is, most people are practicing social distancing in this area.

[Botany]

46. How do you stand to live in such an area?

Last edited Wed Apr 22, 2020, 06:35 PM - Edit history (1)

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

47. I live here too

and don't understand how he got elected. It's obvious he is after a bigger job than county sheriff. Too bad he can't be fired.

[gopiscrap]

63. I live in Pierce County---I feel for you

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. Confirms I was right to vote against this guy

[Igel]

45. So you live there.

I live outside of Houston, which is (mostly) in Harris County.

There's a Harris County elected sheriff and there's a sheriff's department who has jurisdiction everywhere in the county.

There's also a Houston PD, which only (really) has jurisdiction inside the city limits (however weirdly they may be drawn, to keep as much tax money from surrounding areas flowing into the city). The HPD reports to the mayor.

It's not like Baltimore City and Baltimore County, where the city is not part of a county.

Question:

Are there also police departments in Snohomish County that share jurisdiction with the sheriff's department?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

48. there are a few town that are using the County

vs having their own PD. Maybe two or three that I can think of.

[Igel]

51. So the sheriff is pretty much the only law enforcement.

I mean, if the Harris County Sheriff said no to enforcement, Houston would be just fine. The sheriff's department doesn't much bother with Houston.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

53. No the Sheriff's department only handles the unincorporated part of the county

And the county jail I believe.

The cities generally have their own police force though some smaller towns contract with the sheriff.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

68. that's the way I understand it too

except I think Snohomish, Sultan and Gold Bar use the county vs having their own PD

[ribrepin]

70. I can't remember if I voted for him or not

but I won't make that mistake again.

[dflprincess]

4. There's a sheriff in one of Minnesota's rural counties that is

saying the same thing. Apparently the county has had less than 10 cases. He must believe no one from the area ever leaves it and no one ever goes there. Idiot.

[dhill926]

5. oh, so sherrifs just get to pick and choose which laws to enforce now...

what could possibly go wrong...

[AtheistCrusader]

7. He also seems to think the Declaration of Independence trumps the Constitution.

One of these documents is historical, the other has legal force in law.

[Major Nikon]

23. They should be fired and lose their LEO certification for shit like this

Just to make sure they never work in late enforcement for the rest of their lives. If they did this to just a few of these shitstains it would end all of their posse comitatus antics forever.

[Roy Rolling]

29. Yes

Strip him of his law enforcement credentials, then fire him.

He isn’t enforcing the law.

[rockfordfile]

74. I agree

[Grins]

32. Don't know about Washington, but in some states the Gov. can fire for cause

But it’s NOT EASY! Sheriff’s are elected which makes them constitutional vs. political.

I only know a couple of instances where a Gov. acted on a bad Sheriff - and one of them was Gov. Jeb Bush!

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

54. I believe the State Attorney General would have to take action

Ours is Bob Ferguson who's not one to be trifled with. He's already had repeated success in court against the Trump Administration.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

73. I really, really like Bob Ferguson.

And you're right. Being the AG, he's NOT one to take any shit from some county yahoo sheriff who thinks he's above the law.

I'm up here in Whatcom county, five miles from the border, where we're all "Canadian-Lite."

[JT45242]

6. The governor should suspend him right away for insubordination

It is the job of the sheriff to ENFORCE laws and executive orders. If this idiot thinks that he is a constitutional scholar then he should run for judge.

He swore an oath to uphold the law.

If a beat cop said this to a mayor or governor. He would be suspended immediately without pay while his union rep struggled to keep him from being fired for cause.

Inslee needs to make an example out of this idiot.

[TeamPooka]

10. All these Oathkeeper types like to pick and choose the laws they enforce.

[MarcA]

25. And which "rights" to life, liberty and happiness the rest of us have. n/t

[HeartachesNhangovers]

14. He can't. An elected sheriff doesn't work for the governor.

A police officer is different. They work for a chief of police, and the chief of police (usually) works for the mayor. Because sheriffs are elected rather than hired, they don't answer to mayors or governors.

[Major Nikon]

52. There's a number of things he could do

Sheriff posse comitatus may have one or more certifications that are required as a condition of his employment. If the state has control over those certifications, he can and should be decertified for failure to enforce the law.

The Democrats control both houses of their state legislature and the governor is a Democrat. So long as the state constitution doesn't limit them, they can pass legislation to enable him to be fired, defund whatever funds he gets from the state, limit his power, or establish a new entity to enforce the laws in that county.

In the short term the governor can send in the state police and enforce the law immediately. He can also be personally sued by the state and anyone who is harmed by his refusal to enforce the law.

All of this bullshit stems from posse comitatus idiotology, which is itself an outgrowth of the KKK. Shitstains like this need to have an example made out of them.

[hack89]

27. He is an elected official. He can't be suspended by the governor. nt

[Ford_Prefect]

9. Soon to be a parking attendant in Granite Falls.

[turbinetree]

11. Does this zippy know what reckless endangerment is...........probably missed that part of the

course work.........he should be fired.............and then charged ....

[cp]

12. Virus doesn't care

[Sneederbunk]

13. Isn't this the same jackass who refused to enforce WA gun control laws?

.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

56. No

He hasn't taken a stance one way or the other so far.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. Employees who won't do their jobs get fired

Just do it.

[maxsolomon]

19. Who fires elected officials?

Elected County Commissioners?

The Governor?

[christx30]

30. The voters. N/t

[maxsolomon]

58. So, fire him a year and a half from now, in November 2021?

Semantics.

[christx30]

65. It depends on how the voters feel about the lockdown.

If the people in his district think it's a good idea, he'll be out of a job. If they think the lockdown is a violation of their rights, he'll be seen as protecting them from an overreaching government.
Wonder if the governor can send the state police into the area to enforce the locldown.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

76. I think it won't be till 2023

Could be a long three years.

[dware]

71. He's an elected official, not appointed,

only the voters can fire him.

[maxsolomon]

16. FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING.

No one's enforcing it; everyone is voluntarily cooperating. Go hug Tim Eyman for all I care.

WA Conservatives need to turn Dori Monson (KIRO FM) off for a month or so.

[trc]

49. Not true

A Dallas judge forced Hobby Lobby to close after that company claimed it was an "essential business." This is one example but I am sure there are many more orders like this all over the country as businesses try to skirt the stay at home orders. Police had to show up at some Hobby Lobby stores to physically shut them down.

[maxsolomon]

57. In Washington State. Not aware of anyone pushing it to the point of law enforecement.

I can't speak for Tejas.

[Mr.Bill]

17. If we start letting law enforcement officers

decide what laws are constitutional, this country is done.

[BigDemVoter]

18. Cannot do his job? Perhaps he should be fired.

[hack89]

28. He is an elected official. He can't be fired. nt

[BigDemVoter]

43. Damn. I didn't know that!

[hack89]

44. This is all about him posturing for his reelection. nt

[Nasruddin]

20. The suicide pact

When did the constitution turn into a suicide pact?

I thought it was conservatives who used to recite this epigram (I remember there's a link to something Mr Lincoln said).

[procon]

21. He's the only one who is doing unconstitutional acts

Since when does a sheriff get to set himself above the law and become both the legislature and the judge, enacting his own laws and ruling he has some sort of right to break the la whenever it suits him.

I might be wrong, but that sure sounds like stuff a lawless vigilante would do.

[BlueIdaho]

22. Is this a violation of his sworn duties?

If so - fire him.

[dware]

72. He's an elected official,

only the voters can fire him.

[MarcA]

24. Vlad gives it a double plus good. n/t

[msongs]

33. quarantine his county, nobody out, nobody in nt

[nolabear]

36. Well swell. I live in his county. Quarantine you own.

Honestly, this isn't going to be a massive deal. Snohomish County is complying like crazy. He's just mouthing off.

[standingtall]

34. How exactly do dead people pursue happiness?

Just saying.

[The empressof all]

35. Another Self Righteous Prig

This is such self serving bull crap from this fricken poser. He is a disgrace. The support he's getting on his facebook page is clearly organized and coming from the right wing wackos that live in my state. I live near Snohomish County. It's highly populated and there is going to be a lot of sickness spreading throughout the Seattle area if people don't stay the course and stay home. I wonder if his wife is going to go for a hair cut and a mani/pedi….I hope it's all over the news... UGH....I'm so sick of feeling so pissed off at these jerk asses jeopardizing everyones health so they can act like big shots. They all should be buried with their paychecks....

[nolabear]

37. This is my county. PLEASE don't call from out of state. We're doing far better than this implies.

People here are complying extremely well with the order. We're a mix of Seattleites who've moved outward and quite lovely minority, largely immigrant families. That sheriff is blowing smoke where he knows he won't have to actually follow up on things. Most people are following the state guidelines, painful and restrictive as they are.

He's using the Governor's speech yesterday to score MAGA pants but seriously, around here he's in the minority. We need access to those phone lines for real issues. Please don't flood them.

[Thekaspervote]

62. Maybe you could give an update. Let us know how Gov Inslee handles this

[nolabear]

66. He just did an update and read them the riot act. Said this is not optional.

[KWR65]

38. I don't like cops that pick and choose what laws they will enforce. n/t

[marble falls]

39. The sad part is probably his only opponent will be an extreme RW who thinks Fortney is a Democrat.

[List left]

40. I visited 2 stores in the same chain one in Snohomish one in King County

They both have extended their checkout counters with boxes and mats to increase distance. The one in king county had plexiglass shield between the checker and the customer. the one in Snohomish did not. The King county store employees wore masks the Snohomish employees did not and few customers did. the Shohomish store employees seemed put off by people wearing masks.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

61. I live south of Everett

Most of the stores in my neighborhood have the plexiglass shields.

[totodeinhere]

42. That idiot is going to get some people killed. n/t

[Turbineguy]

50. Just when Snohomish County is

seeing the good results from the order.

New cases down, less than half the hospital patients of the peak.

https://www.snohd.org/499/COVID-19-Case-Count-Info

[Ford_Prefect]

55. Who Was That Un-Masked Man?

From elleng's post : [link:https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213330324|

The Supreme Court has already ruled it's within the states' authority to use its police powers to protect public health and safety in this way, "In every well-ordered society charged with the duty of conserving the safety of its members the rights of the individual in respect of his liberty may at times, under the pressure of great dangers, be subjected to such restraint, to be enforced by reasonable regulations, as the safety of the general public may demand." Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11. (1905)

(Re: Barr's suggestion, 'stay at home sounds like house arrest.')

Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobson_v._Massachusetts

[Marrah_Goodman]

59. Lock him up

[LiberalLovinLug]

60. "I will always put your constitutional rights above politics or popular opinion.....

he should have added "...or an international health emergency"

[gopiscrap]

64. he's an ignorant fucking piece of shit

[ibegurpard]

67. Snohomish County leans blue

Get him out of there next election.

[generalbetrayus]

69. "To be quite honest I wasn't even sure what he was trying to say half of the time."

So, Sheriff Adam of Mayberry actually admits he is such a moron that he couldn't understand what a well-educated public speaker like Governor Inslee was saying half the time? But then I keep forgetting, in his crowd that's a badge of honor.