The Portland Police Bureau announced Friday that it will reduce the number of calls that officers respond to in person. It will instead direct officers to use the phone to contact people who have reported some types of non-life-threatening crimes.

The new policy is meant to reduce officers’ exposure to the new coronavirus circulating in the community and to decrease the chances of having many officers at once stricken by the virus. Police say they need to retain the ability to respond to life-threatening emergencies, their number one priority.

The bureau said it’s encouraging people to go online to make reports that aren’t about crimes in progress or “life safety issues” that necessitate an in-person response. Online reports can be made at www.portlandoregon.gov/police/cor/ and police said each one of those reports will be reviewed by a sworn police officer. The bureau stressed the importance of reporting crime.

Non-emergency reports can be made by phone at 503-823-3333. People reporting emergencies still should call 911.

After Friday afternoon’s initial announcement and some public confusion over what it meant, police spokesman Sgt. Kevin Allen clarified that police will still send officers to many calls -- including sexual assaults, armed robberies, violence involving weapons, fistfights, home burglaries, business burglaries and many car crashes.

Allen said police will be unlikely to respond to car thefts or car break-ins if they’re not in progress and there are no suspects to pursue. The same goes for identity theft or burglaries of a shed next to someone’s home, for example, he said.

“We’re talking about lower level stuff,” Allen said. “The bigger stuff, of course we’re going to respond. ... We’re just going to be looking for any opportunity we can to use the phone to do our job.”

Police Chief Jami Resch told The Oregonian/OregonLive that police will be there when needed.

“If there is any potential that anyone could get hurt, officers will still go to that call,” Resch said.

In addition to keeping officers healthy, Resch said, the bureau is making the changes over concern that officers might unknowingly come into contact with someone who is infected, then spread the virus to people at higher risk for a severe bout of the disease.

“Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through this unprecedented situation," Resch said in a video announcement to the city.

“Portland Police Bureau members are working collaboratively with our partners to prepare for and mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” Resch said in a written statement. "We value our face-to-face interactions with the public, but recognize the need to do our part to protect the public and our members.”

Other police agencies are considering similar changes or have already acted, including Vancouver, Salem and Newberg-Dundee.

Newberg-Dundee police said Friday that they will try to do their work by phone whenever possible, but an officer will respond in person for “those wishing personal contact.”

“During personal contacts we are encouraging social distancing guidelines be followed,” the department said.

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee

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