Florida is bracing itself for Hurricane Irma—which is on track to potentially do more damage to the state than Hurricane Andrew did more than two decades ago. To that end, Gov. Rick Scott (R) has declared a state of emergency and issued mandatory evacuation orders for certain areas that look like they might bear the brunt of the impact once Irma hits land. And while Floridians desperately flee their homes and take shelter elsewhere, the Polk County, Florida sheriff wants folks to know that, hurricane be damned, he will still be jailing people—especially those with criminal histories that end up seeking shelter in the storm.
Now, we get it. Law enforcement has a job to do and that job often includes arresting people. But first and foremost, lest they forget, the job is actually about protecting the members of the community and keeping them safe. Florida is getting ready for a natural disaster—one with the potential to cause catastrophic damage and loss of life. So you’d think that law enforcement might be helping with disaster prevention/management and letting people know where they can go in order to remain safe, not reminding them that warrants can land them in the slammer if they are trying to find shelter during a hurricane. Got a warrant for unpaid parking tickets? Traffic violations? Unpaid child support? Failure to appear in court? If so, don’t bother seeking public shelter during a hurricane according to this sheriff. Because the police won’t help you, apparently they’ll just send you straight to jail.
And it looks like, they’ll have a handy little process for checking out who is allowed into the public shelters and who isn’t. Because, after all, during a crisis, the most important thing is checking IDs and denying admittance to people in need based on their past.
Now, Polk County claims (once these tweets went viral) that this is about keeping children safe from potential predators—which may garner some sympathy among the public. But the idea that they would actively discourage anyone from seeking shelter is terrible for public safety. Like it or not, offenders have the right to safety and seek shelter. Why would they waste their time on this? And think about how this message will discourage any people who are looking for help, convicted of a sex crime or not, because they might fear being arrested.
In an interview, [Carrie Horstman, spokesperson for the Sheriff’s office] further explained that it was policy to check IDs at the shelter doors to prevent sex offenders from getting to close to children. “While we are checking, if we see someone with an active warrant we have to place them under arrest,” she added. She didn’t seem persuaded by the criticism that this would discourage people from showing up in the first place. “That is a risk a person would run,” Horstman said. “I think it is much safer to be in our jail than to expose yourself to a Category 5 storm. You are using the phrase, ‘people who are scared to go to jail.’ If you have a warrant, legally you should be in jail. You should turn yourself in and be safe in our jail rather than risk your life waiting out a storm.”
Instead of doing what really matters and working to save lives, these cops are wasting time and resources trying to fill their jail. This kind of crap will only ensure people get injured or die. And, because we know policing is out-of-control these days, we should ask: is this even really an issue? Have there been any children actually put in danger by being in hurricane shelters with registered sex offenders? This seems like more alternative facts from conservatives to do what they want and to hurt people. This is what happens when the “law and order” MAGA crowd are allowed to run things. It’s absolutely deplorable. And we can bet that Donald Trump is perfectly pleased.