Valdosta Police Department Increasing Enforcement of Shelter-In-Place Order
By Carol A. Gasser Moore
VALDOSTA, GEORGIA – With over 75 complaints in less than a 48 hour time period about violations of the Governor’s Shelter-In-Place Order, the Valdosta Police Department has announced its commitment and intention to aggressively enforce the Governor’s order.
Calls about large parties and large gatherings have significantly increased, despite the statewide Shelter-in-Place Order.
Persons who are in the City of Valdosta are warned to follow the Shelter-In-Place order as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines while in Valdosta. Violators have forced the hand of Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan and her staff to making an all out effort to enforce the guidelines.
Chief Manahan in a phone interview with the Lanier County News stated, “Everyone needs to take these orders seriously and get to the point of staying at home. These orders are given for a reason! Anyone who chooses to violate city ordinances or violate Georgia law, are going to be charged with their violation. This means city police are going to arrest violators, who will have to appear in court and pay fines.”
By state order, a single violation is a misdemeanor offense and can carry up to a $1,000 fine and include up to a year in jail.
“The quicker everyone works together to stop the spread of this virus,” said Manahan, “the faster things will get back to normal.”
