ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- A Rochester couple is calling out the Rochester Police Department (RPD) for being unmasked.
"They pulled up eight officers deep, and out of eight of them, two of them had masks on," said Luicus Mead.
Mead said officers informed him they pulled him over for failing to halt at a stop sign. He pulled into his brother's driveway where multiple officers approached him.
"Only the two that approached the door had masks on," said Mariah Southwick, Mead's girlfriend. She also witnessed the incident.
"As time goes on you see a female officer that is going through Luicus's pockets. And you see her unmasked," Southwick said. "She has a mask on around her neck clearly. And she is standing right next to Lucas as there going through his pockets emptying out his phone, his wallet and such."
Lucas was recording the incident on his cell phone as officers placed his belongings in a plastic bag while they were detaining him.
On videos and photos, KTTC received from the couple, at least three officers are shown not wearing a mask. One is visibly unmasked and within 6 feet of Luicus.
RPD responded to questions about the incident with the following statement.
"Since the beginning of the pandemic, RPD has been encouraging officers to do business outdoors and socially distanced whenever possible. We have also been encouraging officers to wear face coverings but recognize that it is not always feasible in this profession. Effective communication is necessary, now more than ever, and we cannot allow face coverings to interfere."
The Minnesota mask mandate does have an exemption for public safety in paragraph 10, section k.
When a public safety worker is actively engaged in a public safety role, including but not limited to law enforcement, firefighters, or emergency medical personnel, in situations where wearing a face covering would seriously interfere in the performance of their public safety responsibilities.
"There was no threat. There was no evident threat. They made a clear choice not to put a mask on," Southwick said.
The couple feels law enforcement should set a higher standard to prevent community spread of the virus.
"He has a grandfather that's high risk, and you were within six feet of him," said Southwick. "How can I trust they're going to enforce it if they're not even doing it themselves?"
RPD also said officers began receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in mid-January.
"They are under no obligation to report to the department whether they receive the vaccine, and we have no ability to track this information," said Amanda Grayson, RPD Crime Prevention & Communications Coordinator in a statement.
It's unclear if the officers involved in this incident are vaccinated.
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