The Kane County Sheriff Joins Other Suburban Sheriff’s In Stating His Office Won’t Enforce Extention of Stay-at-Home Order

Kane County Sheriff Ron Hain released a statement today announcing that his department will not be enforcing Governor Pritzker’s extension of the stay-at-home order. Sheriff Hain cited his oath to protect the state and Federal constitutions as well as the statements made by the US Attorney General that the “constitution is not suspended in a state of emergency.”

He did however warn residents not to take this as a green light to ignore pandemic safety protocol, “This is not a time to test law enforcement or challenge the Governor’s direction with blatant and egregious activity that may be harmful to society. It is a time to view this as a global health concern and to act in the best interest of your fellow citizens.”

Here is Sheriff Hain’s complete statement:

As our community becomes anxious to return to some normalcy, the Sheriff’s Office has received numerous inquiries into how we will respond to apparent violations of Governor Pritzker’s Executive Orders. It is clear that deputies do not have immunity if they attempt to enforce the Orders and there is no legislated law that applies to the violation of the orders. Therefore, Sheriff’s deputies will not be taking enforcement action against any one person or entity for Order violations, without the issuance of a judicial order.

The US Attorney General made a clear statement that the Constitution is not suspended in a state of emergency. I was elected and took an oath, as all of our deputies have taken an oath, to protect the US Constitution and the Constitution of the State of Illinois.

This is not a time to test law enforcement or challenge the Governor’s direction with blatant and egregious activity that may be harmful to society. It is a time to view this as a global health concern and to act in the best interest of your fellow citizens.

Sheriff’s deputies will continue to serve in new, varying humanitarian related roles, such as caring for the homeless, supporting quarantined seniors, and networking with business owners to help them make proper safeguards to continue their operations while mitigating the spread of the virus.

I do recommend businesses consult with their attorney if they are licensed through the State of Illinois, as there may be penalties issued against them if the State determines some level of violation. People and businesses may also want to research their liability if they host events or gatherings and risk exposure.

We are hoping that our entire community views their obligation to their fellow mankind in the same regard. If we all work through this together, we will come out much better on the other end.