Howell PD Won't Respond To COVID Gathering Violations, Chief Says

HOWELL, NJ - Local authorities in Howell will not respond to every COVID-19 complaint about the new indoor gatherings limits, particularly during the holiday season, the police department chief announced on Thursday.

In a memorandum addressed to police personnel, Chief of Police Andrew Kudrick, Jr. announced that the department will not intervene during every social distancing or mask complaint.

“We are in difficult times. Our community is hurting. We have seen an increase in mental health issues. People are depressed and stressed. Businesses are trying to survive. Some have already closed. The holidays and social gatherings bring family and friends together,” the chief wrote.

“The latest order restricts the number of persons permitted within households and restaurants. From the beginning of this pandemic, we have relied upon our community to be responsible by limiting exposure and spread of this virus. This will continue without our enforcement intervention.”

As the second wave of the virus unravels throughout the Garden State, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order on Monday restricting the number of people allowed at both indoor and outdoor gatherings to maintain control of the spread. Indoor gatherings are now capped at 10 people, with outdoor gatherings limited to 150 people, with some exceptions. Read more: Gov. Murphy: NJ To Lower Gathering Limits Amid Coronavirus Spikes

The chief continued to defend that the memo is not a defiance to the governor’s orders, but that the police will “not be used to carry out orders I feel are detrimental to our relationship with our community.”

This week, the governor said police will not go door to door to enforce capacity limits on Thanksgiving, but the state will take action if it gets reports of gatherings that are too large.

"There's no amount of law enforcement that can get behind private doors to enforce compliance," Murphy said. "At the end of the day, it's on our shoulders."

Over the summer, the Howell police department broke up a house party of over 300 in the Ramtown neighborhood of the township. A gathering around Halloween also saw a number of coronavirus cases in the township that eventually prompted Howell High School to transition to remote learning for two weeks. Read more: Howell High School Closes For 2 Weeks Amid More COVID-19 Cases

Kudrick concluded his announcement by stating that, effective immediately, Howell police will not accept or respond to reports regarding face masks, social distancing or indoor/outdoor gathering complaints, save for an “egregious violation” such as a packed house party.

“If these restrictions are exempt for political purposes, then family and friends should be permitted to gather with equal consideration,” the chief wrote.