Manhattan Beach Police: 'Help Us' By Wearing A Mask
Jul 23, 2020 11:55AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
As Manhattan Beach continues to enforce its face covering order, Manhattan Beach Police are asking citizens to help them by respecting the state, county, and local orders by wearing masks.
At the "Coffee With a Cop" Zoom conversation with residents on Thursday morning, Manhattan Beach Police Sergeant Tim Zins asked all community members to cooperate.
"We’re asking everyone in the community to help us out," said Zins. "We’re encouraging people; we’re trying to take a positive approach to face coverings. We have face coverings in our cars. But we can’t police our community without your help."
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise across L.A. County. In Manhattan Beach, the number of cases has more than doubled in the past month, from 99 total cases on June 22 to 238 cases on July 22.
"The community can really help us if we do what the city council is asking," he added. "Please help us to get through this."
The Manhattan Beach City Council has issued an emergency order calling for citations starting at $100 for those who are not wearing face coverings. The city began enforcement last weekend with code enforcement officers assisted by CSC event staff.
Manhattan Beach Police Chief Derrick Abell reported at Tuesday's City Council meeting that the city issued 21 mask citations on Saturday and 42 citations on Sunday. Enforcement
officers gave out more than 1,200 warnings over the busy summer weekend, he said.
The city has clarified that a violation of the mask order is a citation, not a misdemeanor. The council is also working to review and/or clarify the order for "common sense" exceptions.
Need a face covering? Support Manhattan Beach merchants by buying your mask locally.
