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City of Bloomington, MN / COVID-19 Messages / 24 Apr 2020
City of Bloomington, MN / COVID-19 Messages / 24 Apr 2020
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From YouTube: April 24 Q&A with BPD

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Have a question for the Bloomington Police Department about anything COVID-19 related? Submit your questions to bpdqa@bloomingtonmn.gov.
This week, Chief Potts talks about how officers are staying healthy and safe, and what to do if you’re experiencing domestic violence.

A

Hi everyone, my name- is Jeff BOTS and I'm, the police chief here in Bloomington, and we are getting a lot of questions about covin 19 and stay at home order. Unfortunately, the co vid 19 pandemic has put us in a position where we can't really meet face-to-face with the community as much as we used to and so we're trying some new and creative ways and we're going to answer some questions today through video chat, hi.

B

Chief berry from Bloomington a couple of quick questions, what's being done to make sure that our police officers are staying healthy and then, secondly, if an officer responds to a house call or in our neighborhood, how do we know that they're, not sick or infectious? Thank you. Thanks.

A

For asking, we have heard a lot of concern about the Bloomington Police Department in the officers during the Cova 19, and were we're very happy to report that we're doing well. We have done a number of things to keep our officers safe. As is you all know that, as a top priority here is to keep our staff safe, and so what we've done is we've changed the schedule.

A

The officers are now working 12-hour shifts, they work a series of days on, and then they have a longer series of days off so that they can remain so that if they had gotten sick, which we have had a few officers who have been sick, they can get healthy and safely return to work, and that has actually happened. They've been given the clearance through the Minnesota Department of Health to do so, we're also having our officers wear more PPE personal protection equipment.

A

So you might see officers out interacting in the community now, whenever they're closer than 6 feet, they're supposed to have a mask on I protection and gloves. That is all in an effort to keep our staff safe and also keep the community safe from community spread. We're also having our dispatchers ask more questions when they take a 9-1-1 call. The dispatchers are going to ask a few questions just to see if they can find out.

A

If the person that we're dealing with may have symptoms or may even be coded 19 positive, that doesn't mean the officers aren't going to come. It just means they'll take more precautions when they get there. I can't.

C

I've been hearing that there's been an increase in domestic violence incidents and to stay at home order has been put into place. Is the department aware of this, and what can someone do if they're afraid to stay in their home? Do you have any resources available, I think.

A

Three times we know this is a difficult time for many people, and the stay-at-home order has put additional stress and anxiety inside the home, and that has led to additional domestic disturbance, calls at the Bloomington Police Department. We want the public to know that if you feel unsafe inside your home, you can leave the governor's executive order does have an exception for for that very reason, if you don't feel safe inside your home, perhaps there has been some physical abuse that has taken place. You can certainly leave.

A

You can also call 911 and we will come. We are here 24/7 to help you you're, not alone. There are other services that are available, the domestic abuse advocacy services are still working, they are essential services, and if you want to talk to someone, you can certainly call a crisis hotline phone number that is on your screen now, and they were also help you you're not alone. We are here to help you. There are other services that are here to help you please do not stay inside your home if you feel unsafe.

A

Well, thank you for reaching out to us. With these questions we know these are difficult and confusing times. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any other questions. Thank you.