Mar-Mac Police taking protective measures
By Audrey Posten, North Iowa Times
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mar-Mac Police Department has implemented temporary procedures—and officers are doing everything they can—to keep the public, their fellow officers and themselves healthy and safe.
Last week, Mar-Mac Police Chief Robert Millin announced that, in non-emergency incidents, officers will be handling reports by phone. If residents call for assistance, please be aware you may be contacted by an officer to determine if the situation can be handled by phone.
“While we appreciate the continued support of our communities, especially during these uncertain times, our goal is to reduce the number of people we come in contact with to uphold the recommended social distancing guidelines,” he said in a post.
If an officer does respond to your home, please meet the officer outside, if possible, and observe recommended social distancing guidelines. Officers will continue responding appropriately and timely to crimes and other emergency situations that require an in-person response.
“We are also choosing our EMS calls carefully due to a lack of protective equipment,” Millin noted at the March 18 McGregor City Council meeting.
He said the department would manage if one officer, or even two officers, contracted the coronavirus, but losing all three to quarantine would leave the communities without a police force for 14 days. In that case, he added, other agencies would have to help cover the area.
In a true emergency, residents are instructed to call 911. For non-emergencies and all other questions, please call the department’s non-emergency line at (563) 873-2500.
“We’re still out and about,” Millin assured, “but if we have to make contact, we’re taking precautions.”