“With the new orders to “stay home” from Governor Inslee last evening, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office wanted to let our community know where we see potential questions.

Law enforcement's primary role is to help educate people about how to comply with orders to stay at home.  Our deputies are not being asked to detain, arrest, ticket or establish checkpoints for compliance.  Rumors of strict law enforcement or "martial law" are not true. Here are some communication messages that may help answer your questions. 

• We view our role more as one of education. Educating residents on how to keep themselves safe, how to keep their families safe and most importantly, to keep the rest of the community safe, especially our vulnerable populations.

• We understand some people need to carry out essential services such as:            

1. Safety and security
2. Food, water, shelter
3. Health and medical
4. Energy (power and fuel)
5. Communications
6. Transportation

• Our community has mostly shown they understand the severity of the situation and are doing all they can already to keep themselves, their families and neighbors safe and healthy.

• When deputies encounter people not complying with an order, we will remind them, as appropriate, of the recommendation and restrictions.

• No law enforcement agencies have any desire to make any arrests or take anybody to jail for violations.

• Rumors of individuals or businesses needing "passes" or "licenses" to conduct essential services are not true. 

Lastly, we will continue to serve our community every minute of every day and we will always enforce the laws that keep people safe. We will update as we learn more.”