COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says his team will “take a look” into whether or not police officers in Ohio are, or should be, required to wear face masks while on duty.
I asked DeWine about the situation regarding officers during his COVID-19 press briefing on Thursday, based off an email sent to WCPO by viewers Lynne and Larry Hutchinson.
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The Hutchinsons, who said they’ve reached out to the governor’s office about their concerns already, said they remain “concerned that these law enforcement officers' choices are posing a danger to the public, not protecting us as they should be doing.”
DeWine briefly addressed the Hutchinsons' concerns and said, “We’ll take a look at that… My first reaction to that is that that is a matter that was within the jurisdiction of that police department."
"There may be a legitimate reason why they’re not wearing masks, but we’ll look at it. We’ll look at it," DeWine said.
On Wednesday, DeWine announced a re-issue of the state’s already in-place mask mandate, emphasizing requirements for stores and restaurants as to how they ensure customers are wearing masks when required.
As of Friday, there has been no change to facial covering requirements for police at the state level.
