The quarantine signs some local police departments have asked coronavirus patients to put on their front doors are unnecessary and could lead to a backlash against those suffering from the disease, the Bergen County Prosecutor said in a directive banning the requests.

Issued Saturday by Prosecutor Mark Musella, the directive said police should already have access through other agencies to the names and addresses of those who test positive, thanks to a recent loosening of state rules governing information sharing.

Asking residents to display a sign – as departments in Glen Rock, Ridgewood and Saddle River had done – may discourage coronavirus patients from calling police when they need to and lead to harassment, the directive said.

“Such requirements are totally inappropriate and are therefore banned,” Musella wrote. “Any such prior advice shall be immediately rescinded, and any such social media postings should be immediately removed.”

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The prosecutor sent the directive to police chiefs throughout the county after NorthJersey.com published a story last week detailing how local authorities had begun encouraging the voluntary signs. It comes as law enforcement agencies big and small grapple with how best to keep officers safe from the easily spread virus while still doing their jobs.

As of Tuesday, several departments had already stripped the advisories from their websites and social media pages. This included Saddle River, where Chief Jason Cosgriff said he hopes it wasn’t misinterpreted.

“It was just a measure of safety to protect the officers and the EMS workers that may be coming to the house, that’s all,” Cosgriff said. “We’re just trying to work through a pandemic, and this is the first global pandemic I’ve ever worked through.”

The virus has ravaged larger departments like New York City's. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Tuesday that about 5,600 NYPD cops – about 15% of the workforce – are out sick. Nearly 1,200 officers and employees have tested positive, and five have died.

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In New Jersey, the State Police said Monday that 1,272 officers throughout the state are quarantined and 163 have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Smaller municipal departments already pressed for manpower can't afford to lose even a fraction of their street cops. Those concerns – plus worries that 911 callers can’t always convey to dispatchers what’s wrong – drove Glen Rock to issue the advisory, Chief Dean Ackermann said last week.

But officers should be treating everyone like they have the virus, Musella wrote, since people can carry it without showing symptoms and not all the infected will get tested. The prosecutor feared officers would start relying on residents’ self-reporting instead.

“Law enforcement personnel must therefore approach all individuals with precautions necessary to prevent contracting the virus,” the directive read, adding that departments also cannot tell people to immediately volunteer health information when they call 911.

Ackermann, the Glen Rock chief, said Monday that he “absolutely” would follow the directive.

“Everybody’s trying to do the right thing here,” he said. “We’re in uncharted territory, and we’re building a response program as we drive.”

Steve Janoski covers law enforcement for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news about those who safeguard your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: janoski@northjersey.com Twitter: @stevejanoski