Full Notification

Dear Petaluma Community,
 
I am writing to you tonight to address concerns from our community about the message released this afternoon by Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick.  He announced his office will no longer enforce the Public Health Order issued by the Sonoma County Public Health Officer and instead adhere to the orders issued by the State of California Department of Public Health.
 
As your Police Chief, I want to assure you that the City of Petaluma’s highest priority is the health and safety of our community.  This has been our focus well before the Shelter-in-Place orders were issued, and will continue to be our mission.
 
I want to be clear to those we serve, the City of Petaluma will continue to follow the lawful health orders issued by the Sonoma County Public Health Officer. As we have done from the beginning, we will continue to educate our community members and encourage voluntary compliance.  If someone refuses our education and public awareness efforts and they place our community members at risk, we will issue a written notice of violation, followed by a criminal citation.  If violations continue, additional charges will be filed with the Sonoma County District Attorney’s office.
 
Again, I respectfully ask the Petaluma community to not place our officers in a position where enforcement is necessary.  I want to thank and acknowledge everyone who, like us, is depending on health experts to help keep our community safe. 
 
Together we have significantly slowed the spread and I am confident we can all continue to maintain self-discipline with regard to precautions and guidelines recommended by the CDC, State of California Department of Public Health, and the County of Sonoma Public Health.
 
Together we will emerge an even better, stronger, and healthier community.  Thank you for the continued support of our first responders, healthcare workers, and essential workers who are supporting and protecting us all during these challenging times.
 
Respectfully,
 
Ken Savano
Chief of Police