Officers in more than a dozen cities have contracted the novel virus, which has killed at least six police officers and employees nationwide.
to stay-at-home orders and official advice to practice social distancing by having employees work from home, core parts of police work can only be done by heading outside and interacting with others. Police can’t scour a crime scene for shell casings over Zoom, nor can they provide first aid to someone in dire medical straits from an office. So departments have responded to the virus by rethinking key aspects of how they police their communities.
People who call 911 now get asked if they have a fever. Officers are cutting down on arrests and not responding in person to some calls as they try to avoid possible exposure to theAcevedo said people who call his department now are now asked whether anyone is showing any symptoms of illness, including a cough or fever. Officers going to a scene where a person might have those symptoms will go in protective gear, Acevedo said, though the department is “running out of everything.
Police in Oklahoma City are asking 911 callers about their health before responding and requesting that, when possible, people step outside when officers show up. In Philadelphia, police are detaining people charged with some nonviolent offenses only for paperwork and planning to arrest them later. Chicago police said they are seeing less activity overall, with car and pedestrian stops down 40 to 60 percent, and are encouraging officers to minimize public contact.
Police also say they are trying to avoid bringing additional people into jails — which experts warn are dangerously susceptible to disease outbreaksPolice officials stress that they are still patrolling communities and responding to calls and serious crimes. Pazen said his officers have “been able to address some pretty high level crimes but do it in a safe way,” including keeping distances when possible and wearing protective equipment.
“What’s kept me up at night as chief for many years is the possibility of a pandemic,” said Acevedo, the Houston police chief. “Because in law enforcement, we’re used to dealing with human behavior, we’re not used to dealing with Mother Nature and a virus and medical issues.
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