Please don’t drop off unused prescription medications at the Police Department during the COVID-19 epidemic, or apply for a tag sale or solicitor permit from the department, and don’t drop off gifts of food there either, Police Chief Donald Anderson said in an announcement Thursday.
That’s because, like everyone else, police are trying to keep as much social distance as possible during the epidemic, he said. Police have stopped non-criminal fingerprint services for the same reason.
And for the same reason, some policing may even be done on the phone rather than face-to-face. Please call the department’s non-emergency number for anything you need from police that isn’t an emergency. The number is 203-662-5300.
“As a department that is fully engaged in the community and with our residents, this is a somewhat new process to us as well but we are certainly trying to do our part to limit non-essential contact, ” Anderson said. “As always, the Darien Police Department is here 24/7 if you require immediate public safety assistance.”
Police Chief’s Announcement
Here’s the full text:
Good afternoon,
As you are all aware, our entire country is being affected in some fashion by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Rest assured, the Darien Police Department and all municipal agencies and departments are operating well together to manage this fast-moving situation. We are in constant and ongoing contact with all levels of government and health department agencies each and every day.
Photo from Darien Police Department
Darien Police Chief Donald Anderson
The Darien Police Department thanks all residents and guests for their cooperation in limiting contact and maintaining social distance as we all try to limit the effects of COVID-19.
For emergency situations, please call 911 and you will have full and complete emergency response as always. For police related non-emergencies, please consider calling the department on the routine line, 203-662-5300, as we may be able to assist you fully over the phone rather than requiring face-to-face contact. As a department that is fully engaged in the community and with our residents, this is a somewhat new process to us as well but we are certainly trying to do our part to limit non-essential contact.
We know that, in many times of big storms or other emergencies, residents drop off food or other “goodies” at the department for our staff who are on duty 24/7. It is always much appreciated and we are thankful for the gesture. We would ask that, in this time, that no one bring any packages of food or any other items into the Police Department Lobby.
In the interest of ongoing safety and to limit potential exposure, we have temporarily suspended civilian fingerprinting, car seat installation checks, the in-lobby prescription drug drop box program, tag sale permitting and solicitor permitting. We will advise as soon as we can as to when these programs can resume and we will assist all residents to clear up any backlogs as expeditiously as possible.
As in many first responder agencies across the state and country, the Darien Police Department currently has some officers who are on quarantine status out of an abundance of caution. That said, we will always have sufficient patrol staff on duty to provide the same level of professional public safety service that is a hallmark of our agency. As COVID-19 testing is ramping up across the state, I remain hopeful that our involved staff will be back on full duty in the very near future.
Thank you once again for your cooperation in limiting public personal contact as far as possible. Please follow all CDC- and Health Department-published best practices as they are clearly well-reasoned directions on how to try to stay healthy. As always, the Darien Police Department is here 24/7 if you require immediate public safety assistance. Thank you and stay well.