Since protocols went into place due to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, Sequim Police officers report their call loads and infractions have gone down in recent months.
“That’s largely due to proactive enforcement,” Sgt. Mike Hill said.
“We’ve been eliminating nonessential contact with the public such as traffic stops and citizen contacts,” he said.
In mid-March, the Sequim Civic Center and Police Department closed to the public, with non-essential services continuing to be suspended as of press time.
If officers suspect a possible threat of a COVID-19 contamination they continue to wear protective equipment. No officers have tested positive for the virus, health officials report.
Hill said traffic stops remain the most impacted with “significantly less traffic and not as many calls on the road.”
Traffic loads have begun to incrementally increase, he said, as some restrictions begin to lessen elsewhere and people try to get outside.
Police officers have maintained their regular workloads in recent months, but there’s been less overlap on shifts, Hill said.
They’ve also adjusted schedules to allow for more physical distancing inside the police station.
Administrators are in-process of shifting some schedules back to their previous times, but it’s largely dependent on state guidelines, he said.
Detectives’ investigations have shifted from in-person interviews to mostly on the phone or they’ve been postponed to when restrictions are lifted, Hill added.
“We’re monitoring things as they go along,” he said.
Burglaries up
One surprise to officers is the increase in burglaries compared to this time last year, Hill said.
Burglaries have been happened predominantly at storage units and vacant businesses whose owners are working from home, he said.
“If you’re a business owner, you should check on your business if you’re working from home,” Hill said.
Residents can also call the non-emergency line at 360-683-7227 for officers to check in.
Comparing April 2019 to April 2020, the only rise in incidents in Sequim are burglaries, civil situations and code enforcement calls.
A majority of the code enforcement calls, Hill said, are people asking if certain businesses are essential, such as construction; those instances were evaluated by the city’s Department of Community Development.
“We have not had to stop anyone,” Hill said. “All instances were deemed necessary.”
Other issues
A majority of the Sequim Police Department’s calls are abandoned 9-1-1 calls, Hill said, followed by disturbances, such as arguments, and/or mental health checks.
He said there has been a significant number of thefts mostly at chain stores ranging from people stealing food to electronics, but the totals overall are down from 2019.
Drug violations are slightly less than April 2019 too, Hill said.
“A lot of narcotics arrests are from being proactive like finding people parked in cars where they shouldn’t be,” he said.
Sequim Police officers remain on patrol and those with emergencies in the city should call 9-1-1 and 360-683-7227 for non-emergencies.
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Sequim police say call load down during COVID-19 - Sequim Gazette
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