Calhoun County Authorities To Enforce Non-Essential Business Closures

Law enforcement agencies across the state, including here in Calhoun County, are working to enforce Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order closing non-essential businesses.

The Calhoun County Unified Law Enforcement, which includes six departments, issued a press release Friday saying that after receiving guidance on Gov. Whitmer’s Stay at Home Order from the state and the Prosecutor’s Office, they put together a process by which officers will investigate complaints that a business isn’t being compliant.

Officers will first contact the business and “provide support and education” regarding the EO, and issue a Cease and Desist Letter if they do not then come into compliance. If the business still refused to comply, then law enforcement can issue a citation for willful violation of the Executive Order, a misdemeanor that carries up to 90 days in jail or a $500 fine.

The CCULE says that you can make a complaint about a business or ask for further information by contacting your local law enforcement agency’s non-emergency number:

• Calhoun County Sheriff, 269-781-0880
• Albion Public Safety, 517-629-3933
• Battle Creek Police Department, 269-966-3322
• Emmett Township Public Safety, 269-968-9303
• Marshall Police Department, 269-781-2596
• Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Police, 269-729-5222

Executive Order 2020-21 was issued on Monday by Gov. Whitmer, and among other things requires businesses to suspend operations that are not “necessary to sustain or protect life” in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19; that means healthcare and food workers are still on the clock, while workers at places like tobacco stores or bowling alleys are not supposed to be.