Syracuse, N.Y. — Kids playing football at a high school or playground. Golfers on the links. People inside a bar.
Those are a few of the hundreds of calls Central New York police officers and deputies have responded to as they try to enforce social distancing mandates issued due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In Onondaga County, from March 30 to April 7, there were 247 complaints of people congregating and 39 calls of businesses not complying with the state’s non-essential business shutdown, said county spokesman Justin Sayles.
In a four-day span from April 4 to 7, sheriff’s deputies alone have responded to 43 such calls. (Some of the calls were duplicates, or more than one person reporting the same incident.)
Sgt. Jon Seeber, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said the majority of calls are of kids playing in parks and other green spaces. Other times, the crowds have dispersed before deputies arrive.
The city of Syracuse is seeing similar calls. So far, city police have responded to around 97 social distancing calls, the majority of which were for people gathering, Sgt. Matthew Malinowski said Thursday.
Last week, deputies were called to North Syracuse Junior High School for a report of kids playing basketball. Earlier that same afternoon, deputies went to Cicero North Syracuse High School for a group of kids playing football and basketball. Seeber said the majority of their social distancing calls are occurring in the northern portion of Onondaga County.
So far, deputies haven’t had to ticket anyone. Instead, they teach people about the rules. In the case of kids playing, deputies will find their parents and speak with them.
“We’re looking for willful compliance,” Seeber said, adding that repeat offenders are more likely to be ticketed.
Non-essential businesses not complying with the order to close risk being referred to the state Attorney General’s office, who will investigate and could levy civil or criminal penalties.
Syracuse police have referred at least three businesses to the AG’s office for operating against the order, Malinowski said. An exact count of calls the sheriff’s office referred to the AG’s office was not immediately available.
Seeber said deputies were called to two bars—The Gathering Lounge in Liverpool and Candy’s Hillside in Jamesville—to investigate reports that they were open. Instead, they found workers cleaning inside, which is allowed under the state orders. That’s a similar situation they’ve encountered at other businesses, he said.
Seeber said the calls have had some burden on the department. Not because they’re not important, he said, but because they’re avoidable if people follow the rules.
“If people would be in compliance with the order, that would allow us to handle more priority calls,” he said.
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