New London — Area police departments are planning to scale back their non-emergency services in favor of over-the-phone responses in an effort to limit officers' and residents' potential exposure to COVID-19.

The move comes at the same time emergency medical responders are scaling back contact with patients, not only to limit exposure but to preserve supplies of personal protective equipment: the gloves, gowns, masks and eye protection commonly used to assess patients suspected of having contracted the coronavirus that causes the disease.

Police cut back in-person responses

While all emergency calls still will be answered, and longer wait times are not expected, police departments throughout New London County are hoping to help residents in non-emergency situations without actually responding to the scene.

Many departments are limiting face-to-face interactions in stations and are increasingly screening 911 calls prior to dispatching officers.

On Saturday, Waterford police Chief Brett Mahoney took to Facebook to address the need for procedural changes, implementing new practices that other area departments, including New London, have since followed.

"Due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus, many of our services and common practices will temporarily be curtailed or changed," Mahoney said. "Our officers have to enter into situations where they may come in contact with infected persons, and then might come in contact with you. For your safety and ours, we are instituting some different ways of interaction with those we serve to do what we can to slow down or avoid the spread of COVID-19."

Changes, he said, include more carefully screening calls before dispatching officers and keeping a 6-foot distance from callers when officers do go out to a scene.

When people call 911, they now will be asked a series of questions about their health and potential exposure to the virus, including: Are you sick? Are you feverish? Do you have a dry cough? Have you traveled out of the country in the last 14 days? Have you been in contact with anyone who has been out of the country in the past month? Have you been in recent contact with anyone with COVID-19 coronavirus?

A caller's answers will determine how emergency officials respond. In many cases, complaints or other non-emergencies may now be handled over the phone.

"It's not like we're delaying or stopping services, we're just having officers show up by phone," said Lt. Marc Balestracci of Waterford police. "We're still going to respond to emergencies but we're limiting contact with the public if possible."

In Norwich, visitors looking to have fingerprinting done will be asked the same series of questions. The desk officer has the right to turn away anyone showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and anyone who answers yes to any of the screening questions will be asked to return in 14 days.

Medical dispatch in Norwich is handled by American Ambulance Service Inc., whose vice president, Greg Allard, said response protocols are constantly being updated based on the newest available information.

Emergency medical personnel — the region’s emergency medical technicians, firefighters and paramedics — are in part taking cues from dispatchers in order to take the necessary precautions and limit exposure.

In New London, firefighters are cross-trained as EMTs and respond to all medical calls in the city, sometimes in coordination with paramedics from Lawrence + Memorial Hospital. Now, rather than an engine accompanying an ambulance, as has been the case in the past, a single ambulance will respond first to assess a patient, said city fire Chief Tom Curcio, who also serves as the city's emergency management director. 

That means fewer firefighters responding during medical calls. The move not only limits potential exposure but also will help preserve the department’s supply of personal protective equipment, he said.

The department has an ample supply of personal protective equipment now, he said, but there is likely to be a shortage of things like masks should an outbreak occur. The N95 masks — "tight-fitting respirators that filter out at least 95% of particles in the air, including large and small particles," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — recommended by health officials are “next to impossible to get,” he said, and even surgical masks are getting harder to come by.

“At this point we’ll need help at the state level to get these supplies in stock,” Curcio said. “If our guys become infected, it will put us out of business.”

The new procedures are similarly in place at other departments in the region.

Norwich Fire Department acting Chief Keith Wucik said his department has always had an infectious control plan in place. The major change now is the number of people going out to assist American Ambulance on a medical call. Where there used to be three, he said the department is likely to send one.

“Believe it or not we haven’t been to many calls,” Wucik said. “We’re in good shape right now, but I think it's only a matter of time."

Allard agreed the scarcity of supplies eventually could be an issue, but the region hasn’t reached that point yet. Under certain circumstances masks can be reused, he said, but not indefinitely.

An extraordinary amount of personal protective equipment is being used now: protection gowns, safety glasses or goggles over glasses, gloves and masks, while additionally securing a mask on a patient. “That’s not something we do everyday,” he said.

Curcio said many of the normal supplies used by area departments are on back order, including hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes used to clean ambulances. The department is in the process of switching over to a bleach and water mixture for cleaning. "Everybody's in the same predicament right now,” he said. "At this point we’ll need help at the state level to get these supplies in stock."

The New London Fire Department additionally has secured its building to outsiders and the fire marshal’s office has halted routine building inspections.

Limiting routine services

Norwich police officers will be responding to all calls as normal but are being asked to wear protective gear, according to Lt. John Perry.

In Waterford, New London and East Lyme, when officers do go out on emergency calls, they will try to maintain a 6-foot distance from callers at all times. Callers will be asked to, when possible, exit their home, car or business when an officer arrives so that they can speak with them outdoors. For welfare checks, dispatchers will get information from reporting parties before entering any buildings. By communicating in open spaces, departments hope to limit their officers' risk of exposure.

New London police have suspended fingerprinting services until March 28. Waterford and East Lyme fingerprinting services are available as normal.

Norwich police will be limiting fingerprinting services to 4 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday for city residents and people employed by businesses and organizations in the city. The records department has been closed until further notice. Requests for copies or reports can be made by calling (860) 886-5177 or by emailing records@norwichpolice.org. No vendor permits will be issued until further notice.

Police from New London and Waterford said they will still be responding to on-road accidents but will not be responding to motor vehicles lockouts unless there is a child or special needs person in the car or a true emergency involving the lockout.

Complaints will be taken by officers over the phone or online or followed up on through calls from officers.

In Waterford, complaints can be filed by calling (860) 442-9451 or visiting waterfordpolice.org and going to the online reporting section.

In New London, reporting over the phone is preferred, at (860) 447-5269, but complaints also can be filed online at bit.ly/NLPDcomplaint.

Waterford police will not be going on medical calls to nursing facilities or retirement homes unless there is a serious emergency.

The Waterford dispatch building is closed, but the lobby will remain open, along with the New London and East Lyme police departments' lobbies. All communication will take place through a glass window.

Groton Town police Chief L.J. Fusaro said officers are assuming anyone could have been exposed to the coronavirus so are limiting contact and keeping their distance to protect themselves from exposure. "If we don't protect our own force we can't protect everybody else," he said.

The department is prepared to respond to emergency calls 24/7 and will continue all of its core functions but will be responding in-person to non-emergency calls less frequently. The town is trying to disseminate updates through its Facebook page and asked that residents check frequently for updates.

On its Facebook page, the City of Groton Police Department asked residents to seek information about coronavirus from reputable sources, such as the CDC or the Ledge Light Health District. It also encouraged the public to practice situational awareness, complying with federal, state and local directives to avoid crowds and wash hands and clean surfaces and to ensure proper rest and nutrition to maintain immunity.

Connecticut State Police issued a video on their Facebook page urging residents to call 211 or visit ct.gov/coronavirus or the CDC website for information on the virus. A spokesperson said state police are encouraging residents and troopers to wash their hands frequently, maintain adequate distance from one another, avoid touching their faces and wear proper masks.

State police on Wednesday announced statewide closures of state police barracks.

"Due to close contact and the necessity to take precautions, all State Police facilities will close to members of the public seeking records, permits or cards of all types, effective immediately," said the statement.

State police headquarters in Middletown will be offering limited fingerprinting services for long term care providers and sex offenders and deadly weapon offenders who are required to register with the state. Those coming to headquarters for fingerprinting will be allowed inside in limited numbers.

The other 11 state police barracks will be open for walk-in concerns and emergencies only.

In the statement, state police reminded residents of extensions granted by Gov. Lamont for expiring licenses — licenses that expire or expired any time on or after March 1, 2020,  including bail enforcement agents and private investigators, will have a 90-day extension; licenses that already had a 90-day grace period, including pistol permits, security guard licenses and armed security guards, will be extended to 180-days; and temporary pistol permits have been extended from 60-days to 150-days, state police said.

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