Rowan: Sheriffs enforce laws, not rules
By Terry Murry on Friday, August 27th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
PENDLETON – The rules and regulations regarding COVID-19 are ever changing. One thing’s for sure, if you want to complain about a violation, don’t call the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office.
“We are law enforcement, not rule enforcement,” Sheriff Terry Rowan said. “To date, we have not responded to any type of complaints regarding not wearing masks or whatever the case may be. We’re going to maintain that.”
Oregon OSHA is charged with enforcing the many rules coming from Gov. Kate Brown. Rowan said while his deputies aren’t responding to complaints, they are working to ensure there isn’t a major outbreak of COVID-19 at the jail.
“We have a very robust process for bringing in and accepting inmate population,” he said. “If they’re terribly sick, we take a look at their charges and make a determination whether they will be accepted into our facility.”
Rowan said the jail has nine different pods for the ill inmates who must be jailed due to serious crimes to be separated from the general population.
