Oswego police are doing some things differently these days due to the coronavirus pandemic.
To help prevent the spread of the disease, the department is holding roll call briefings that officers take part in from their squad cars.
“At the patrol level it is impossible for officers to work remotely. We had to come up with ways to keep our officers from interacting with each other while practicing social distancing,” Oswego Police Chief Jeff Burgner said.
The department has implemented a variety of changes in response to public health guidelines, which includes monitoring the number of people working in the headquarters.
“It’s definitely been a trying time for the police department as we figure out new ways to operate,” Burgner said. “We use technology a lot.”
Roll call briefings where supervisors meet with officers to prepare for the next shift are not being held together in a meeting room as usual.
“In order to protect our resources and troops we have now pushed the roll call functions out to the squad (cars),” he said.
Patrol officers begin their shift with conference calls with their supervisors from their cars, the police chief said.
“We are doing the same at the command level. We are doing far more conference calls and web-based meetings,” he said.
The Oswego Police Department headquarters at 3355 Woolley Road remains closed. However, the building is staffed and exceptions are made for emergencies.
“We are totally open for business. We have changed how we are doing business,” Burgner said.
An intercom system is available for people to communicate with the front desk 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals are instructed to provide a phone number and wait in their car for an officer to come to them. Under limited circumstances a person would be allowed in the station lobby.
One of the other priorities was to get personal protection equipment recommended by the CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health for officers and staff working at police headquarters.
All sworn officers are equipped with personal protection equipment kits and squad cars have a second set if needed, Burgner said. The kits contain goggles, masks, disposable gloves, gowns and disposable bags.
The department is monitoring supplies and is in regular communication with the Kendall County Emergency Management Agency to ensure sufficient supplies are available, Burgner said.
“We have been fortunate that we have not had to deploy a lot of the equipment or actually use it,” Burgner said.
Information is communicated to officers for any COVID-19 related calls made to the emergency dispatch center, he said.
“Our dispatch center has intelligence on what areas of town potentially could have a higher risk of getting the coronavirus,” he said.
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Oswego officers swipe clean the inside of their squad cars and work spaces as well as common work areas in the police station at the beginning of shifts, officials said.
“This is an all hands-on-deck situation. Our officers and staff have all stepped up to help keep our building safe,” Burgner said. “We have also increased our cleaning crews in the building.”
He said the battle against COVID-19 is one involving all residents.
“Our community has been supportive to what we have to do but we recognize this has been a strain on them as well. The instruction to our officers is to remember that these are our residents and they are struggling through this like everybody else,” Burgner said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.