ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – As a way to keep staff safe during COVID-19 Albuquerque Police officers have been responding to calls more over the phone instead of in-person.
They say dispatch is assessing if a caller is sick or has had exposure to COVID-19 and passes that information on to officers. They’re also asking if the caller is okay with talking to an officer over the phone to limit contact. Deputy Chief Harold Medina says officers find the new protocol beneficial.
“Officers have been very pleased with this. They are reporting back that they like the process and that a lot of times, their calls are not holding like they used to in the past because quite frankly the time it takes them to drive to some calls, they’ve been able to clear them over the phone,” said Medina.
APD says officers are now responding more quickly to higher priority calls like a fight in progress for example.
New Mexico Coronavirus Resource Guide
- Tracking Coronavirus in New Mexico
- Tracking Coronavirus in Navajo Nation
- New Mexico Coronavirus Cases by County, by Day
- What you need to know about New Mexico’s Public Health Order
- Red, Yellow, Green Level Definitions
- What do I need to know about the COVID vaccine in New Mexico
- Evictions – Supreme Court Ruling
- New Mexico CARES Act grants to be dispersed by Christmas Eve
