As stated by our press release this week, on how the Sheriff’s Office handles calls for service and the visits in the jail. Obviously, the Sheriff’s Office does NOT have the privilege or option for us to close our offices. We are 24/7, 365 days a year regardless of the current situation. However, in addition to our duty to provide safety to our citizens, we also have to make decisions in regards to the safety and well-being of our staff. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect nearly every area of life, law enforcement agencies around the country are changing the ways they respond to service calls. Law enforcement personnel come into contact with countless people in their communities on any given day. Now that this highly contagious disease is spreading across the U.S., our jobs carry a new risk — both for Deputies and for the communities we serve. Below are some policies temporarily implemented at the Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to safeguard the public as well as our dedicated staff.
Effective immediately, Deputies may take reports for certain non-emergency calls over the phone, such as those that don’t require an on the scene investigation or the collection of evidence. We feel that because our Deputies interact with many people throughout the day, limiting as much exposure as possible will aid in contributing to our social distancing responsibility to the public and will limit the potential spread of the virus to both our officers and to you, the public.
Our Deputies are continuing normal patrols throughout the county and will still respond to in-progress crimes or emergencies where there is an immediate threat to life, health or property. If you need us to come to you, we will still do that just as we have always done. If we do respond to your call in person, we will ask you certain questions about your current health and ones in your household. You could be asked to step outside to speak to Deputy in order to limit indoor contact. Deputies who have to make in-person visits will keep a “safe distance” and refrain from shaking hands. No offense, just being cautious!
Public access to our buildings is also very limited during this crisis. Our lobby remains open, and anyone that needs to enter the lobby should use the intercom to speak to a Deputy or dispatcher. We are taking extra measures to clean and sanitize our facilities throughout the day.
Our correction centers are also working under very strict orders, both from state level and from in-house changes to safeguard our staff and the inmate population. We have a NO VISITOR policy in place. This means no community volunteer-led services, but we continue video visitation. We are also currently not allowing the intake of property or personal hygiene items to housed inmates from the public. We already provide the personal hygiene items needed. Every person who enters the facility will be screened and medically cleared prior to entering. This includes officers, attorneys, medical staff and inmates. Our staff members are working tirelessly to clean, sanitize and protect the wellbeing of everyone at our correctional centers several times a day. We are also having our nursing staff check out everyone who is booked into our facility to protect our staff and your love ones.
Thank you for your patience and for understanding these temporary officer contact policies as we do our best to limit exposure to this very contagious illness. Join us in praying for this crisis to soon be over and may God bless you and your family.
Sheriff John Mehr
Madison County Sheriff
