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KENOSHA COUNTY – The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has officially declared a state of emergency before a decision is made whether or not to charge the police officer accused of shooting Jacob Blake. But the answer is not yet a traditional state of emergency, but a state that prepares department employees to work longer hours, according to a spokesperson on Monday evening.
Sources shared the note with TMJ4 News on Monday evening, and a sergeant in the Sheriff’s Department independently confirmed the document’s legitimacy to TMJ4 News. Following the publication of this article, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Department told TMJ4 News that the interdepartmental statement now only allowed employees to work longer and adjust schedules, ahead of the billing decision. The declaration does not yet immediately trigger a curfew or other more traditional responses associated with a state of emergency.
The note itself does not mention any specific response under the state of emergency.
In the Jan. 4 memo, Sheriff David G. Beth declared a “state of emergency” for Kenosha County. He cites a number of reasons for the decision:
- The city and county can experience “riots, looting, damage to county and city property, and civil unrest.”
- The city and county have an “overwhelming interest” in keeping the peace amid “escalating tension.” Human lives and property are “at very high risk”.
- All evictions and the civil procedure service are suspended with immediate effect
Sheriff Beth concludes: “I find there is the potential for disaster, which requires extraordinary measures to protect the health and well-being of the population. Declaring a state of emergency will make it easier and faster to use resources to protect people. “
TMJ4 News received the memo shortly after the Kenosha Town Common Council voted to give the mayor emergency power to respond to civil unrest following the impeachment decision.
READ MORE:
Blake’s family and activists march ahead of Kenosha County District Attorney’s decision
Governor Evers mobilizes National Guard ahead of Blake shooting decision
Road closures in Kenosha to prepare for Blake’s decision on the charge
This resolution is enacted as soon as Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley announces his impeachment decision.
DA Graveley is expected to announce whether his office will charge Kenosha Constable Rusten Sheskey with the Blake shooting. This decision is expected in the first two weeks of January, according to officials, and could take place as early as Tuesday.
Governor Tony Evers on Monday announced the mobilization of 500 National Guard members in Kenosha.
Clarification: A previous version of this article indicated that the sheriff’s office had declared a state of emergency, based on a note shared with TMJ4 News. This article has been updated with a nuance shared by a spokesperson for the ministry, namely that the memo currently only allows for scheduling changes before the billing decision is made.
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