Police stay the course, but with extra caution
Law-enforcement agencies in Ulster County are taking extra safety steps, but lawbreakers will not get a free pass.
Law-enforcement agencies in Ulster County are taken greater precautions when dealing with the public to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean people should be any more concerned about their safety or that lawbreakers are going to get a free pass.
Police chiefs say officers are out on the streets and enforcing the laws with no reduction in patrols.
Rosendale Deputy Police Chief Scott Schaffrick said it’s “pretty much business as usual” in the department, though he said officers are taking every precaution against the virus.
Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra likewise said his officers are working as they would under normal circumstances, though they’re carrying emergency response kits — which contain hazmat suits, gloves, goggles and other protective gear — and maintaining the recommended 6-foot distance from other people when practical.
Sinagra also said it also is important for police officers to help allay people’s concerns.
“We have to be careful, we can’t instill fear,” he said. “We are the first responders, our paramedics, firefighters, police officers. We all have to do the job every day, regardless of the environment, and we know that going into this line of work.”
Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti said city officers also are doing what they can to limit close contact with the public, but “they’re doing their job. They’re required to do what they have to do, and some of that includes physical contact.”
Tinti said officers and other department employees have tried to reduce their interaction with the public both on the streets and in the police station to only when such interaction is necessary.
He said that because most people are following health officials’ guidance to stay indoors and not go out into public, the number of people who are out in the city has been reduced, which he said has resulted in a reduction in the number of interactions police have with the public.
“There’s a lot less public out there,” he said, noting, in particular, the dramatic reduction in late-night crowds because restaurants, bars and clubs are closed.
Tinti said Kingston officers have been issued gloves and masks to use if the situation calls for such protection and that the police department also has restricted contact with the public within the police station to just the lobby area.
Tinti and Sinagra also said officers are stepping up their personnel hygiene efforts, washing their hands and using hand sanitizer more frequently, and wiping down workspaces and commonly touched areas with disinfectants.
Tinti also said officers are no longer attending “traditional lineups.”
“There is a heightened awareness of personnel hygiene, touching doorknobs, paper products around, constantly washing your hands,” he said.