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### **Law Enforcement in theEra of Coronavirus**

July 2020 | Volume 13 | Issue 7

Throughout the nation, law enforcement agencies are continuing  to serve their communities in the face of the coronavirus and the numerous  harms exposure can cause to first responders and community members alike. While social distancing measures and stay-at-home orders were implemented in many jurisdictions  across country, law enforcement personnel remained in their jobs, playing a vital  role in their communities.

#### *New Podcasts*

**Fausto Pichardo**Chief of Patrol Services, New York Police DepartmentThe NYPD’s Patrol Services Bureau is responsible for operations conducted by the majority of the department's uniformed officers. These officers work out of 77 precincts, each of which serves a population of between 70,000 and 150,000 people. Deputy Chief Pichardo speaks with the Beat about how the department responded to the coronavirus and shares his perspectives on the commitment of NYPD officers.

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**Peter Koutoujian**Sheriff, Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office (MA)President, Major County Sheriffs of AmericaA career public servant, Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian oversees one of the nation’s oldest law enforcement agencies: the Middlesex (Massachusetts) Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Koutoujian joins the Beat to share his experiences and lessons learned leading his organization through the height of the coronavirus.

 In New York City, the site of the earliest  large outbreak of the coronavirus, 20 percent of New York City Police Department (NYPD) employees were out sick at the height of the pandemic. At the same time,  the department was responding to changing crime trends resulting from the prevalence  of the virus.

 In New York, the overall crime rate dropped, but specific crimes  increased. “During the pandemic, we’ve had an uptick  in commercial burglary calls because so many businesses have been closed,” said  Fausto Pichardo, NYPD’s Deputy Chief of Patrol. 

 Pichardo was recently interviewed by the *Beat*, the COPS Office’s podcast series,  and he discussed the impact coronavirus had on NYPD operations. He also shared his  thoughts about crime issues that he anticipates increasing as New York continues  to open its economy. 

 “A lot of domestic violence survivors cannot come forward right  now because if they come forward, they may really put themselves in harm's way while  they are isolated with their abuser. So, we’ve been doing a lot of outreach... through our victim assistance programs we know some of our most vulnerable domestic  violence survivors and we make sure we keep in contact with them,” said Pichardo. 

 Elsewhere, crime trends during the pandemic have varied. Research  on national crime rates during the pandemic is still being conducted by many organizations,  and the overall impact is yet to be determined. News reports from some cities reflect  a decrease in all crime categories, while other cities—like New York—have experienced  decreases overall but have had notable spikes in specific types of crime. 

 According to Trace,  a news organization dedicated to the coverage of gun violence in the United States,  gun violence in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Washington, D.C.,  decreased but remained elevated compared to other violent crimes under stay-at-home  orders.

 Correctional facilities represent another challenge for law  enforcement during the pandemic. Options to implement  social distancing and other protective measures are difficult for both inmates and  staff.

 During another recent interview with the *Beat,*Peter Koutoujian, President of Major County Sheriffs of America and the Sheriff  of Middlesex County in Massachusetts shared lessons learned after leading his organization through the outbreak of the  virus. “I remember the day that we got our first positive. I remember looking into  the eyes of the entire staff at the Middlesex Sheriff’s Office and it was a very  different institution once that happened. It was all academic until that point.” 

 In total, before the rate of the virus decreased in Massachusetts,  52 members of the sheriff’s office tested positive for COVID-19 and as many as 300  of their 600 staff members were out sick or quarantined at some point. As impactful  as those lost workdays were to the organization, Koutoujian and the staff turned  the losses into another opportunity to serve the community. “We started a program  where staff can donate plasma to the Red Cross blood bank so that their blood that  had once been positive for COVID-19 can now be used to treat those that are suffering.”

 In every agency throughout the country, law enforcement officers  continue to serve despite the risk the virus poses to them, and by extension, their  family and co-workers. Through it all, they are learning what works best, adjusting  to changing expectations and demands, and continuously displaying the level of courage  and commitment that typifies American law enforcement. 

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