Village Of Albion Police Department

106 North Platt Street

Albion, New York 14411
Phone (585) 589-5627
Fax: (585) 589-8016

Roland D. Nenni III

Chief of Police

Statement from Albion Police Chief Roland Nenni

COVID 19
July 21, 2020

Recently there have been many questions asked and posts placed on social media in regards to the
wearing of masks / face coverings and other Executive Orders issued during the Covid 19 Pandemic and
how Law Enforcement is handling them.
As you are aware the New York State Governor has issued in excess of 50 Executive Orders in response
to the Covid 19 Pandemic. Many of these orders are issued with little to no guidance on how they are to
be enforced and to whom they are to be enforced by. While many of the orders are issued with the intent
to help save lives and protect citizens, they are contradictive to previous orders and confusing at best.
We in Law Enforcement believe strongly in the protection of rights to all citizens regardless of Race,
Color or Ethnicity. We work hard to protect constitutional rights and in the same fashion protect
citizen’s life’s and property. Many in our community see the Executive Orders issued during the Covid
19 Pandemic as unconstitutional and illegal. We in Law Enforcement also see many of these orders as
lacking the due process necessary to begin any type of enforcement action when we receive complaints
of executive orders being violated. This places us in a very difficult position that we must navigate
through each time we receive a complaint that a Covid 19 Order is being violated.

As I have said, we believe strongly in due process. That process is done when the Executive,
Legislative and Judicial Branches of government work together to create laws and tests the
constitutionality of these laws and orders. This test is done using due process over time.
Constitutionality of an order issued, is not determined in a parking lot during a dispute between citizens
days after the order was placed into effect.

Every day we receive 911 calls and anonyms NY Pause Complaints from citizens that are reporting
other citizens that are not wearing face masks or social distancing when they feel they are supposes to
be. We respond to these complaints with the intent to mitigate, educate and resolve any dispute that is
occurring or about to occur. We have seen locally, citizens getting into physical altercations over the
wearing or not wearing face coverings. Nationally these disputes have turned deadly and we hope to
prevent violence at each of these calls for service.

There has been information released at the State Level that if employees of a business or patron of a
business is found not wearing a mask, a fine in excess of $1,000.00 can be levied against the violator.
Many take this as a threat from government. This potential action is not coming from the Police or our
Local Government. This is being done at the state level and they are pushing the responsibility of this
enforcement onto local law enforcement and health officials in the form of Health Law Violations.
 Village Of Albion Police Department
106 North Platt Street
Albion, New York 14411
Phone (585) 589-5627
Fax: (585) 589-8016

Roland D. Nenni III

Chief of Police

I cannot speak for Law Enforcement Agencies that are not under my control, but I can for the Albion
and Holley Police Departments which operate under the same Orders. There have recently been posts
on social media that have detailed Police Response to a face covering incidents that are inaccurate. I
would like to clear up some misconceptions regarding Police Response. We do not keep a “list” or
“Registry” of Mask or Social Distancing Violators. We do collect information from everyone an officer
speaks to on every call for service we respond to, regardless of the type of incident. This is done so the
officer can complete a detailed report of the response. The purpose of the report is so that Police
supervisors and myself can review each call for service to make sure everything is complete. We also
record this information so that the Police Command Staff can respond to complaints or inquires days and
sometimes years after the call for service. I have reviewed the Body Camera Footage from a recent
Police Call for Service regarding a “Face Covering Violation”. The Officer conducted himself
professionally and respectfully and simply pointed out the Executive Order and that fines can be levied
for the violation.

The “Face Covering” issue is one of the biggest areas of resistance and misunderstanding. The
executive orders state that a “Face Covering” must be worn when social distancing of 6 feet cannot be
maintained. The Executive Order further states that a business must make all employees wear face
coverings at all times and that patrons of the business must wear a mask when they cannot maintain the
six-foot social distance. If a business patron is found to be inside a business without a face covering and
is within six feet of someone else, no matter what the circumstance, the business is susceptible to
thousands of dollars in fines.

We all must realize that social distancing of six feet is difficult inside a building that is inhabited by
others. We hope that all patrons will wear masks while inside a business to reduce the conflict that will
undoubtedly occur because of the lack of a mask. By wearing a mask, you reduce the chance of the
business owner from facing potential fines that could cause the business to close.

Please understand that Law Enforcement did not choose to be placed in these situations and the last
thing we want is to be involved in a political and constitutional debate, that we have no control over.
There are opinions on both sides of these issues that we in Law Enforcement cannot resolve. We ask
that if you feel strongly about an issue on either side that at the minimum you respect others and avoid
conflict by not testing these issues by intentionally going against an order or guideline.

Regardless of political views or the acceptance of scientific data, Covid 19 can and does affect everyone
different. We as a community need to respect the fact that everyone’s actions have a bearing on the
spread of the virus. Covid 19 can range from no symptoms in some people and can result in death in
others.