Tulare sheriff addresses rumors of martial law and National Guard in Visalia

The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office took to the internet Thursday night in order to negate rumors of the National Guard being staged in Visalia because of the coronavirus.

In a Facebook post that had been shared almost 700 times in its first hour, the department informed the public that the recent rumors of the deployment of the National Guard in Tulare County were false.

The post stated Tulare County Sheriff Mike Bourdeaux spoke Thursday with the California National Guard during a conference call for confirmation.

“They confirmed that the Guard is absolutely not implementing martial law,” the sheriff’s office posted. “The only reason the National Guard would be used would be to help deploy resources, like in the case of a fire or flood. And that is not a need Tulare County has at this moment.”

Martial law is the suspension of ordinary law and the imposition of direct military control of the population. It takes place in response to an emergency, such as an invasion or a major disaster.

“We understand it’s an anxious time, and ‘what’s next’ is causing a lot of confusion,” the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department wrote. “Please help us stop the flow of inaccurate information by getting your facts ONLY from reliable sources.”

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 8:52 PM.