© Provided by WWJ Radio Detroit

(WWJ) In a stunning announcement, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a press conference Friday that five Detroit officers and one civilian employee have tested positive for coronavirus.

Another 152 police personnel are being quarantined for possible exposure; 130 of those were ordered to quarantine by the department, another 22 were advised to do so by their doctor.

"I've not seen anything like this," Craig said, adding, "It's certainly a cause for concern. I can tell you at this point our services will not change."

Any inference that officers are turning a blind eye to crime, especially low level misdemeantors, is not correct, Craig said. Crime prevention and arrests are continuing without disruption.

Crime rates will not increase, he said.

"But it does have an impact on relationships ... We will continue to strive for excellence," he said.

The worst precinct hit, Craig said, was the 9th precinct. Many officers interacted with someone at an event who was not showing symptoms at the gathering, but later tested positive for coronavirus.

The precinct was backfilled with other staff, Craig said, and many of those in quarantine from that precinct are due to return to work soon.

"We still don't know the full impact of the exposure there," the chief said.

Related Facebook post Shared from Facebook

No details about the affected officers themselves were released. Detroit has 2,200 police officers.