Over the last 24 hours, the Green Bay Police Department has seen a dramatic increase in calls to our front desk and questions to our social media accounts pertaining to Governor Evers’ Safer at Home Order issued on March 24, 2020. Chief Andrew J. Smith said, “We understand people have questions, are confused, and need answers. As a department, our crime prevention staff is constantly monitoring our social media and providing updates and resources for you to educate yourself on the Safer at Home Order, what businesses are essential, and what travel is approved.”
The Green Bay Police Department has posted resources on Facebook to help answer most questions about essential and non-essential businesses and what travel is permitted. Smith asks that residents read those sources before calling to ask a question about the Safer at Home Order. After reading the sources, if you still have questions, please contact the Brown County Health Department at (920) -448-6400.
A few important points:
• We will not be setting up checkpoints of any kind.
• We are not randomly stopping vehicles to determine the occupants’ reason for travel based on the Safer at Home Order. Officers still have to have a valid reason for a traffic stop. Policing Constitutionally is not negotiable.
• We have a procedure in place to review, investigate, and deploy resources regarding complaints of violations by businesses or illegal large gatherings.
• There is no new curfew. The juvenile nighttime curfew that has been in effect for years is still in effect. Juveniles need to be home by 10:00 pm.
• If we come into contact with a group of people (10+) we will ask for voluntary compliance and for the group to disperse.
• If we respond to a business that is not essential, we educate the owner and ask for voluntary compliance.
• Officers have the discretion to charge violators through the Brown County District Attorney Office for Safer at Home Order violations.
Employees do not need a letter from their employer to drive back and forth from work.
