May 8, 2020 | By
Cumberland County Sheriff Ronny Anderson has gained some social media attention for a Facebook post stating that his department would not be forcing businesses to close or acting on any “order that violates our constitutional rights” in reference to Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 restrictions.
The message, posted to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department page on Friday afternoon, gained a great deal of praise from those critical of Gov. Tom Wolf’s ongoing shutdown order, which is intended to stem the spread of the pandemic.
The post had more than 1,000 comments on it and more than 5,000 shares as of 8:30 p.m. Friday.
In an interview with The Sentinel, Anderson cautioned that he was not currently being asked to do anything that he thought was legally unsound, but wanted to reassure residents that county sheriff’s deputies would not step over the line if it came to it.
“I’m just making the statement that if I get called to do it, I will not be doing it,” Anderson said.
The county sheriff’s office has not been asked to assist in this enforcement, but Anderson said he would not take punitive measures if asked.
“We’re not going to be pushed into going after our citizens and small business people,” Anderson said. “I’m just saying, in my position as the Cumberland County Sheriff, I have no anticipation of going out and forcing it.”