Just a few weeks ago, residents needing to pay a parking ticket or file a report had no reason to hesitate before driving to their local police station. But with new state and federal guidelines aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, police officers and firefighters are rethinking how they conduct non-emergency business in an effort to keep themselves and residents safe.
For now, that means the public has more limited or, in some cases, restricted access to police stations, which have stopped fingerprinting or collecting parking tickets in-hand. Fire departments aren’t issuing any burn permits. Instead, police and fire officials are encouraging residents to use the mail to pay fines or the towns’ websites to apply for permits.
As of Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., the Concord Police Department had locked the doors to its lobby and hung up posters encouraging residents to call the station for assistance. Chief Bradley Osgood said he could only recall one other time when the lobby was temporarily closed to the public and that was because of vandalism.
“We have easily 100 people coming in and out of our lobby every day, and I’m worried about cleanliness,” Osgood said. “We don’t want people congregating there in close quarters.”
But not all departments see eye-to-eye on the measure. In Pembroke, Chief Dwayne Gilman said he believes closing a police department lobby could be detrimental to someone in need of immediate assistance.
“We believe our lobby is a safe haven for some people,” he said, referring to victims of domestic violence or abuse who may flee to the station and need help right away. “The last thing I want is for someone to go to the door and find it locked.”
While proactive steps taken by police departments across the state differ slightly, particularly when comparing city stations to more rural ones, all agree that the growing number of COVID-19 cases has forced them to rethink how they interact with the public on a daily basis.
The Concord Police Department and others in the region have started taking certain, non-emergency reports over the phone to begin their investigations. However, police chiefs were quick to say in interviews that the new procedures do not affect their 24/7 emergency response.
“We are asking that if it’s a non-emergency that you need help with, to give us a call, and we’ll try to resolve it over the phone. We’re trying to discourage walk-in traffic as much as possible,” said Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein. “But certainly the most important message I want to convey is that we’re still here; we’re not going anywhere, and if you need us to respond, we will come.”
Franklin police have not shut down their station’s lobby but say officers will try to keep their distance when possible, and may initially speak with a reporting party through the glass at the main check-in window to see if the problem can be resolved. In cases where further conversation is necessary, officers may ask to step outside.
Just as officers are trying to limit the exchange of paperwork and practice social distancing at area police departments, they’re also trying to employ similar practices on the road.
Gilman said officers may be more inclined to issue a verbal warning for speed than the written warnings that motorists are accustomed to receiving during a traffic stop.
“If we approach a motor vehicle, we’re trying to restrict the time we’re at the window of the car, and that’s in part because we typically deal with 30, 40 or 50 people a day and we also don’t want to put others at increased risk of exposure,” Gilman said.
Osgood echoed those concerns and the importance of officers practicing social distancing whenever possible. He said officers are taking additional steps to disinfect their clothing, equipment and shared cruisers, both in between calls and at shift changes.
Having undergone mandatory trainings on infectious disease prevention in advance of this pandemic, the city’s firefighters plan to share some of the best practices they learned with officers in the near future. That includes making sure 911 dispatchers ask additional questions for first responders about the health and travel histories of anyone at an active scene.
“We’ve been trying to get ahead of this as much as possible and we plan to work with the police department to provide training and educate them on where the real threats are,” said Interim Concord Fire Chief Guy Newbery.
He said firefighter and paramedic training so far has focused on the virus itself, including how its transmitted and how to limit exposure, as well as the level and type of resources needed to respond.
“We’ve gone through the many different scenarios and the what ifs,” he said.
Newbery said the department responded recently to a medical call for someone with a cough who had recently traveled, but fire responders quickly determined the patient did not have COVID-19.
Firefighters and paramedics in Bow have not responded to any suspected cases yet, but say they’re ready to do so at any time. In the meantime, the Bow Fire Department has placed restrictions on visits from members of the general public; family members are asked to meet with their first responders outside and any packages or deliveries must be placed in the foyer.
Bow Fire Chief Mitchell Harrington said if the patient at a call location is exhibiting flu-like symptoms, the department will initially send just its two first responders who are on duty at the station.
“Normally, we have our on-call, volunteer firefighters and EMTs respond at the same time,” he said. “Now, we’re asking on-call firefighters and EMTs to come to the station first so the on-duty crew can take the lead and determine what type of precautions the others made need to take. That way we’re only exposing two responders to a potential infection, rather than three or four.”
The responding crew will wear masks, eye protection, gloves and gowns before entering any residence where there is a suspected case of COVID-19, he said.
The collaboration between agencies in preparing for the virus has been paramount, said Webster Fire Chief Emmett Bean Sr. He said several meetings are still planned with town and state officials, as well as a mandatory meeting for Webster firefighters Wednesday night to ensure resources are in place.
“We’ve also shut down our fire station in town to residents and its just open to responders for calls,” he said. “This is one of those things where we just have to prepare the best we can. Whatever happens, we have well-trained and qualified people to meet the need.”