For three weeks, League City police responded to an average of over four calls related to stay-at-home violations per day. STEADY CLIMB
THE MOST CALLS RECEIVED IN ONE DAY WAS EIGHT ON APRIL 11.
New calls per day Total past calls
0 20 40 60 80 100
From March 24 through April 14, League City police responded to 94 calls of stay-at-home order violations. Total: 94 Parks: 35
Businesses: 28 Residences: 27 Schools: 4
SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Looking ahead Mayor Pat Hallisey, who wanted to extend the ordinance beyond April 14, said even though police indicated the ordinance would not result in nes or arrests, it did what it set out to do: show residents the city was serious about the stay-at-home order. “What’s the purpose of a rule if you’re not gonna [enforce] it? To get people’s attention. I think we got their attention,” Hallisey said. “Citizens lis- tened. Citizens did their social distanc- ing, and we’re seeing the results.” Despite wanting the ordinance to last longer than it did, Hallisey said he andmany others in the city are ready to start getting back to normal. As they do so, League City o cials will be watching case counts closely. Hallisey trusts local restaurants will follow the governor’s order by not opening at more than 25%capacity, but the city will still be paying attention. “Dowe thinkwe’re gonna be policing the restaurants?” Hallisey said. “I think we’re gonna keep an eye on them.”
according to the records. Roman Iron Gym, 1261 Butler Road, League City, was reported to police as being open on March 29 and 30 and twice on April 1. During the nal response April 1, police found the gym’s owner, George Roman, alongwith four residents at the gym. An o cer told Roman this was the fourth call to the business and that they had to leave the gym, which they did, according to the reports. A gas station along FM 646 was also reported several times for allowing res- idents to use gambling machines. OnApril 9, police responded and told the clerk residents were not allowed to use them. The clerk had been warned the week before, and police said the next violation would result in a ne, according to a report. On April 11, police responded to the gas station for a third time for reports of residents using the gambling machines. An o cer spoke with the manager, who turned o themachines. Overall, Gri th said the three weeks went pretty smoothly. City residents generally followed the order. “People encountered have been understanding and compliant,” he said.
35 total calls to parks police received related to violations of stay-at-home orders, according to the records. Police also responded to a number of reports of gatherings of 10 or more peo- ple at residences. In some cases, police had to ask residents to disperse. On March 27, police responded to a reported party of 20 people having a craw sh boil. O cers told the home- owners about the city ordinance, and the homeowner then shut the party down, according to the reports. Other reports were exaggerated or unsubstantiated, according to reports. In several calls, residents reported seeing 15 to 20 or more gathering together, but police found far fewer. On March 29, at least two callers reported a church gathering on a lawn with residents hugging and shaking hands. When responding, police found 15 to 20 vehicles on a nearby street and groups of ve to six people walking through the neighborhood, according to a report. Business violations Businesses accounted for 28 of the 94 calls police received. Some were visited by police up to four times,
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Residential violations Of the 94 calls related to stay-at- home order violations to which police responded, 35 were to parks, 27 were to residences, and four were to schools, according to the records. On April 9, police were called with a report that people were playing soccer atWalter Hall Park. Police found at least 100 people at the park doing di erent activities, but theywereminding social distancing rules, so police did not act, according to a police report. After hearing about the large gather- ings at the park, Mayor Pat Hallisey on April 11 ordered all city parks to close inde nitely. The order did not include Walter Hall Park, which is a county park in League City limits. Parks reopened after the council did not vote to extend the ordinance April 14. On April 12, Easter Sunday, police found the biggest gathering yet at the park. According to a report, police responded to a call at Walter Hall Park and found “hundreds of people,” but “most [were] at a safe distance.” In all, reports of people gathering at Walter Hall Park account for 11 of the
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