Newark Police Prepared for Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Over the past several days, Newark Police have internally prepared our officers and employees to continue to perform their job functions while also attempting to minimize exposure to anyone infected by Coronavirus. This includes distribution of additional personal protective equipment and dissemination of information about how to deal with the virus and people who may be affected. Newark is currently the only municipality in the state in which there are presumptive positive cases of the virus.
Although there are no changes in police services being provided to members of the public, there may be two noticeable differences when a member of the public contacts Newark Police:
- When possible, police dispatchers have been instructed to ask callers about their potential exposure to the virus and whether they are experiencing any symptoms; and
- Certain calls that are not in-progress, such as minor thefts, fraud, etc., may be handled by a police officer via telephone as opposed to in-person.
These measures are being undertaken to minimize the risk of exposure of our personnel to the virus.
The public is also reminded that the Governor has declared a state of emergency requesting that event hosts cancel any planned gatherings of 100 or more people. The declaration can be found here.
Anyone with questions about the virus, or who wants updated information, should refer to public information available from the Delaware Division of Public Health or the United States Centers for Disease Control.
