In response to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, the Leitchfield Police Department is implementing temporary changes to standard operating procedures.
Effective Monday, March 16, LPD “will implement protective measures for police services within the city of Leitchfield to help prevent the potential spread of coronavirus,” Chief David Riley said in a press release.
“To ensure our agency is able to provide and maintain a consistent level of quality service to our community throughout this time, we will be implementing steps to ensure the safety and protection of our staff, so we may continue to protect and serve the citizens of Leitchfield.”
Riley said that for non-emergency calls, “an officer will contact the citizen to determine if an officer needs to respond to the scene. If the officer does not need to respond to the scene but a report is needed, the officer will take the report over the phone and officers will follow up with the citizen within five days if additional information is needed.”
Even with the precautions in place, Riley stressed that the Leitchfield PD will still respond to all emergency calls.
Should anyone contact dispatch or encounter an officer, the officer will ask two questions that will assist officers in screening for potentially infected individuals:
- Do you or anyone in your household have a fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath?
- Have you been in contact with anyone you suspect has the coronavirus or has been out of the country within the last 30 days?
The following precautionary measures will be in effect:
- All fingerprinting conducted at police department headquarters has been temporarily suspended.
- All car seat inspections conducted at police department headquarter will be temporarily suspended.
- Citizens picking up evidence that has been released shall be suspended until further notice.
- Individuals requesting accident reports will need to purchase the report online at www.buycrash.com. Anyone requesting an accident report will need the complete collision number (Example LP2020-XXXX), and the date of the accident – Anyone may call LPD at 270-259-3850 to obtain the collision number.
“We are encouraging all our citizens to use the CDC guidelines to protect themselves and others during this time,” Riley said. “We need to take these steps to protect our employees so we can ensure the safety and protection of our community. We will continue to keep our community informed on anything that may changing.”
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
