KENOSHA COUNTY – The Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department has officially declared a state of emergency before deciding whether or not to charge the police officer accused of shooting Jacob Blake. However, according to the spokesperson late Monday, the response is not yet a traditional state of emergency, but one that prepares employees of the department to work longer hours.
Sources shared the memorandum with TMJ4 News on Monday night, and a sergeant from the Sheriff’s Department independently confirmed the document’s legitimacy with TMJ4 News. Following the publication of this article, a Sheriff’s Department spokesman told TMJ4 News that the interdepartmental statement from now on will only allow employees to work longer hours and adjust schedules before the levy decision. The statement from now on does not immediately lead to a curfew or other more traditional reactions related to an emergency.
The memo itself does not mention any specific reactions as part of the state of emergency.
In the Jan. 4 memorandum, Sheriff David G. Beth declared a “state of emergency” for Kenosha County. He gives a number of reasons for the decision:
- The city and county may experience rioting, looting, damage to rural and city property, and civil unrest. ‘
- The city and county have a ‘compelling interest’ in maintaining peace amid ‘increasing tensions’. Human lives and property are a very high risk. ‘
- All evictions and the service of the civil process are suspended immediately
Sheriff Beth concludes: “I believe that the potential for disasters exists, which requires extraordinary measures to protect the health and well-being of the people. The declaration of a state of emergency will facilitate, facilitate and expedite the use of resources to protect persons. . “
TMJ4 News received the memorandum shortly after the Kenosha City Council voted to give the mayor emergency authority to respond to civil unrest following the indictment.
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The resolution is adopted as soon as Kenosha County District Attorney Michael D. Graveley announces his indictment.
DA Graveley is expected to announce whether his office will charge Kenosha police officer Rusten Sheskey in the Blake shooting. According to officials, the decision is expected within the first two weeks of January and could come as early as Tuesday.
Government Tony Evers on Monday announced the mobilization of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha.
Clarification: An earlier version of this article stated that the Sheriff had declared a state of emergency based on a memorandum shared with TMJ4 News. This article has been updated with nuances shared by a spokesperson of the department, that the memorandum from now on only provides for the planning of changes before the levy decision.
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