SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Association of Code Enforcement Officers says threats towards officers are on the rise across the state since the implementation of COVID-19 regulations.
The increase in threats caused the organization to send out a letter to members, saying in part:
“....[the organization] condemns all threats and vitriolic actions directed towards our members and is embarking on a campaign to ensure this trend is addressed. We are also taking steps to ensure that those who threaten code enforcement officers, whether from behind a keyboard or otherwise, are identified and held accountable for their actions.”
Sacramento Code Enforcement tells ABC 10 that verbal assaults have increased -- not from business owners but their customers.
“The aggression towards us has been from patrons or people that are in the area. I think it’s the cabin fever. They are trying to get out to do things and they don’t want us,” Peter Lemos with Sacramento Code Enforcement said.
Code Enforcement says they are training officers on when to know to leave an inspection that is becoming hostile and when to call for help.
“We have state agencies, we have governing agencies or licensing agencies, and we haven’t had to escalate to things like that. We never had to call our sworn officer in to assist us because of that level of aggression. We’ve been able to handle it on our own,” Lemos said.
Code Enforcement officers say if someone does not agree with an officer they can go through an appeal process instead of getting into a verbal altercation.
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