KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Kalamazoo’s public safety department is ramping up precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and maintain services during the public health crisis.
Public Safety Chief Karianne Thomas held a Facebook live stream question-and-answer session at 2 p.m. on Monday detailing how the department is handling the outbreak.
The Kalamazoo County Health and Community Services Department has reported its first confirmed death resulting from COVID-19, identified as an older adult patient with underlying medical issues. As of Monday, the county has positively tested 24 individuals with the virus.
Last week KDPS confirmed that a public safety officer had tested positive for COVID-19. Though the department declined to identify the officer, the individual is currently off-work and at home recovering from the illness. A released statement said they are believed to have contracted the virus while off-duty.
Thomas said that COVID-19 testing is being done for some KDPS officers and first responders in Kalamazoo.
“First responders are being prioritized for testing,” Thomas said during the Q&A event. “Now that doesn’t mean that every first responder who wants to be tested will be tested. They will answer screening questions, knowing that being first responders the opportunity for exposure is much greater.”
The department of public safety is closely following CDC and state COVID-19 guidelines, and is actively cooperating with local health experts to develop procedures protecting officers.
While she could not give an exact number on how many officers have been tested, Thomas said the amount was currently less than 10. Officers are being asked to report symptoms in what is called “monitoring with delegation”, with those at-risk or feeling sick required to stay home for a duration of time.
Communication is being maintained with the Kalamazoo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the taskforce overseeing the response to COVID-19 in the community.
KDPS and the City of Kalamazoo have implemented numerous measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among employees and the general public.
Thomas says the public safety department is keeping updated on when it is appropriate for officers to use personal protective equipment. “If you were to ask me two months ago would we reuse N95 masks I would have said no, but we have received guidance from our medical professionals on how to reuse those,” said Thomas.
Leading officials take part in a daily meetings at 9 a.m. involving city commissioners, health officers, and the city manager. According to Thomas only those directly leading the response such as city manager Jim Ritesema and herself attend the meeting in-person, while other officials participate in the meetings through a video streaming platform.
Like other areas in the state, supply shortages remain a critical issue for KDPS and the Kalamazoo County EOC. County officials say they anticipate a rise in cases and that current stockpiles of medical devices and equipment are not adequate for when the peak of the pandemic occurs.
“We have to make sure we’re using them judiciously, that we’re not in a mode of panic where we are wearing an N95 mask all the time when the situation doesn’t dictate it,” said Thomas.
Like the city and county government, KSPS has closed all of its facilities to the public for the time being. Included is the closure of the department’s headquarters at 150 E. Crosstown Parkway and all station lobbies for walk-in services. Officers are also being discouraged from making non-response trips outside of work and home.
She reiterates that it is crucial for the department to develop protocols protecting officers. During the outbreak extra care is being taken to clean police cruisers and maintaining distance from individuals while responding to calls.
KDPS has reduced staff-loads while attempting to achieve the same level of officers in the field. Thomas says that the department has followed its operations plan to phase in level-one staffing, meaning that all specialty units are assigned to the patrol division.
“That ensures us that we have minimum staffing every single day and we have people on the bench waiting to fill those spots,” said Thomas on the staffing changes.
While serious crimes will see the same level of response by officers, residents with minor complaints are asked to report incidents online. Prioritizing resources, Thomas says dispatchers may ask a series of questions to determine whether the issue is best reported through the department’s website or if instead warrants a direct officer response.
