MOUNT GILEAD — Morrow County Sheriff John Hinton said his agency is adjusting to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re still taking calls. It’s business as normal except we are doing a couple of things differently,” he said.
Hinton said calls that can be handled over the phone will be, in order to avoid contact with residents.
“Don’t be surprised if a deputy calls you back and takes your report over the phone,” Hinton said. “If they come to your house, they may ask you to come outside to maintain social distancing of six feet or more.”
Road deputies should be putting gloves on when they respond to a call and then remove them when they leave the scene, he said. “That way if they do touch something they’re not bringing it back into their car.”
He said the amount of calls hasn’t fluctuated much since the stay-at-home order was issued a few weeks ago.
“Anytime you come here, we’re going to take your temperatures, whether it’s employees, other police officers, people coming in to get background checks for their CCW,” he said.
Visitation to the jail was disbanded early on in the crisis. “We still do visitation, but we do video visitation.”
Other precautions are being taken.
“All the inmates’ temperatures are taken every day. We are cleaning the building three times a day; lobby, door handles and everything in the jail the best we can,” Hinton said.
Hinton thanked the Morrow County Health District for its updating of conditions locally as well as supplying his department with equipment.
“Citizens also have donated masks and equipment and we appreciate that,” he said.
Hinton asks that county residents obey the stay-at-home order.
