Bellevue Police Ask Neighbors To Report 'Stay Home' Violations

BELLEVUE, WA — Gov. Jay Inslee's "Stay Home, Stay Healthy" order is in full effect, but Bellevue Police says some people still haven't gotten the memo yet. To deal with any large groups who might be coming together in defiance of the social distancing order, police are giving residents a new tool to report any potentially illegal gatherings.

A new function has been added to the city's MyBellevue page and the MyBellevue mobile app, allowing neighbors to report any large social gathering within the city limits. The reports then generate a heat map that police can use to enforce the Stay Home mandate.

Officers say they aren't going to go out and arrest people for coming together, but they will break large groups up and teach them about the importance of following the order and protecting their community from the coronavirus. Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett says, most people are following the order as directed, but there are a still few who need to be reminded: "The vast majority of people in our community are following the "Stay Home" order and are being safe, but we need your help in reporting violations where there may be a large amount of people at risk."

Officers want to stress that residents should not call 911 about any illegal gatherings. They say 911 is for emergencies only and police will not respond to any 911 calls about illegal gatherings. Instead they urge any concerned neighbors to just log on to the app and file a report.