A Different Sort of Year
On Thursday, May 14, Americans were given a bright glimmer of hope and a step toward returning to their pre-pandemic lives. Fully vaccinated individuals would soon no longer be required to wear masks nor socially distance indoors or outdoors, except under certain circumstances, per Centers for Disease Control guidelines. That evening, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced on social media that the state would follow the new guidelines.
However, 2020, and now nearly half of 2021, has been wrought with change and concern for individuals from all walks of life, including those who wear blue. Adjustments in procedures and services have been made to keep communities safe and maintain continuity of operations that will not as quickly be reversed.
Multiple Measures Taken
Making a quick response to the virus’s arrival to the commonwealth, Hopkinsville Police Chief Clayton Sumner says his agency began adapting immediately to protect officers and staff from COVID-19.
The agency provided personnel with personal protective equipment (PPE) and split the police department and 911 center staff. Members of each group worked in two different locations to limit exposure, should a staff member become infected. This helped ensure that there would always be healthy staff to meet the community’s needs.
Schedules for officers were also adjusted to allow them to work for a certain number of days and then take days off to be monitored for COVID-19 symptoms, said Sumner. Exposed staff were sent home until they could be tested.
Bowling Green Police Department (BGPD) took similar measures, sending their office staff home to telecommute, modifying cadet schedules and dividing office space, according to Public Information Officer Ronnie Ward. Non-emergency phone calls were triaged by cadets who vetted those that could be handled in a socially distanced manner and which required in-person assistance.
The BGPD building, which was cleaned three times a day, was closed to the public, and online reporting was heavily utilized to limit exposure to officers and the community. Each officer had an N-95 mask, safety goggles and hand sanitizer. Community members donated many articles of PPE and sanitizer, for which Ward says the department is very grateful.
One of the most difficult adaptations for many departments during 2020 was the lack of community engagement due to canceled events and necessary social distancing.
However, like many other families across the country, law enforcement found a way to connect with their citizens thanks to social media.
“We posted more about the things we were doing,” said Ward. “(We posted) about how we were doing and how procedures had changed and how they could get in touch with us.”
A New Normal
As the CDC has changed its guidelines, Ward says BGPD is returning to more in-person response to non-emergency complaints. The PIO says his agency continues to utilize PPE, but is looking forward to planning community events that allow BGPD to interact with their community again in the near future.
HPD also is finding its new normal with units back under the same roof. However, shift changes are still in place, PPE is readily available, and, at this time, nearly all first responders have been given the opportunity to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, the chief said.
There is little doubt that 2020, and each safety requirement, presented challenges to every agency attempting to mitigate their risks. However, Sumner noted the necessity.
“It’s like everything else in policing, you are going to do everything, from a management standpoint, that you can possibly imagine to assure your men and women are safe,” he said. “And in that, you have to make sure they are safe, not only for themselves, but also for the customers (the citizens) whom we are out serving.”
A Family Mourns
Despite safety efforts, losses were felt within Kentucky’s law enforcement family.
In early December, news broke across local outlets that one of the commonwealth’s own brass heroes, Bloomfield Police Chief Scott Dennis, died due to complications from COVID-19.
“Chief Dennis was a hero,” said Gov. Beshear during a nightly COVID-19 update following the peace officer’s passing. “Throughout his life, he put himself on the line to protect the people of Kentucky and their families.”
Just days after what would have been the couple’s 22nd wedding anniversary, Dennis’ wife, Mary Ann Dennis said her husband took his job very seriously, noting he helped as many people as he arrested.
“It was his life,” she said. “That’s what he lived for, to go to work in his community. He wanted Bloomfield to be a very loving, safe community.”
Yet, Dennis was not the only officer lost in the commonwealth or in the country to COVID-19. Many more officers imprinted lasting legacies among the people and departments they left behind. In fact, according to a press release from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the U.S. lost 394 law enforcement professionals—182 of those lives were lost to COVID-19. Furthermore, the Officer Down Memorial Page’s data shows that the deadly virus resulted in the loss of more officers in 2020 than any other reason combined.
