Area law-enforcement agencies are working to find ways to limit the exposure that police officers might have to the coronavirus, as well as reduce the risk of inadvertently exposing community members.

Many agencies, including Columbus and suburban police and county sheriff’s offices in Franklin, Delaware and other counties, are asking the public to file reports of minor crimes over the phone or online instead of having an officer respond.

Columbus police Chief Thomas Quinlan said crimes such as theft and criminal-damaging are the types of offenses that can be reported through the Police Division’s website at columbus.gov/police. The website has prompts that include “Report an Incident.”

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EASY WAY TO FILE A POLICE REPORT & REDUCE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS:https://t.co/tJE9Rk4HfO



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For those who do not have internet access, the Police Division’s dispatch center will be screening requests for reports using the non-emergency number, 614-645-4545. Calls that need a report to be filed will be forwarded to a call bank that is manned between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. by officers. These officers are not from patrol and have been reassigned to this duty.

Columbus police officers will be able to take information over the phone to file police reports. The call bank will be available seven days a week until further notice.

The Franklin County sheriff’s office is taking similar precautions. In cases of minor accidents, the office asks that the public use its website at sheriff.franklincountyohio.gov/ to file a report. Use the search section in the upper right corner of the home page and type “file a report.”

People involved in minor accidents should treat the situation as if there were a blizzard by exchanging information, said Maureen Kocot, creative outreach and media relations manager for the sheriff’s office.

Deputies have been instructed to minimize contact with and exposure to the public, Kocot said. After every shift, deputies on patrol have been disinfecting their cruisers, she said.

Deputies also have been told to use their discretion in handling minor, non-violent crimes. Kocot said that in many cases, deputies have been issuing a summons to court rather than arresting people and jailing them.

The sheriff’s office said Tuesday that the concealed-carry permit office, located at 410 S. High St., has been disinfected and will resume appointments for applications and renewals between 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Athens County also will maintain concealed-carry permit applications and renewals, with hours between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. Mondays through Fridays.

In Delaware County, a team of deputy sheriffs who work as school resource officers is now manning a phone bank to take police reports that don't require face-to-face contact.

Examples of non-violent incidents would include reports of loud music or other nuisances.

"It is to reduce, if not eliminate, the amount of contact our deputies have with the public," said Tracy Whited, sheriff's office spokeswoman.

The approach is counter to the community policing policies implemented in recent years to make police more accessible and eliminate conflict.

“Community policing can't be a priority during COVID-19,” she said.

In Licking County, Newark police are taking similar measures, asking those who can to come outside to talk with officers and not releasing property to eliminate people coming into the office. Newark officers are not currently responding to reports for found property.

“If something happens where we start getting sick, who’s going to replace us?” Deputy Chief Darrin Logan said.

Newark police and many other agencies have closed their lobbies to the public for the time being and on-duty officers are taking reports over the phone.

During this time, Columbus police officers are being asked to self-report and self-quarantine if they believe they are experiencing symptoms of the virus, Quinlan said.

“These are trying times, but be assured, Columbus police stands ready to serve and protect,” Quinlan said.

Dispatch Reporters Bethany Bruner and Dean Narciso contributed to this report.

jwoods@dispatch.com

@Woodsnight