New signs placed at the Southwick Boat Ramp and Visitor’s Center alert visitors of COVID-19 orders. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THEWESTFIELD NEWS)
SOUTHWICK – Modern-day policing has taken on a different look these days.
With the pandemic turning daily lives upside down, the Southwick Police Department has taken several precautionary steps to protect its police force all while ensuring that social distancing guidelines are adhered to by the department and the public to ensure the welfare of the community at large.
“Day One (of the coronavirus outbreak), we shut down the police station for anything other than emergencies,” said Southwick Police Chief Kevin A. Bishop, who has overseen day-to-day operations from his home base.
Bishop has also provided backup to officers by going out for an occasional shift or two when duty calls.
To keep the police department healthy, Southwick PD’s patrol units have been split into two groups, reducing manpower so that if one officer gets sick, the coronavirus will be contained within that group of officers.
In addition, police cruisers are decontaminated with disinfectant over an eight-hour period in between use, according to Bishop.
While Southwick Police Lt. Robert Landis currently mans headquarters on Depot Street, the department’s administrative assistant and records clerk have worked from home the last four weeks. Only one dispatcher is allowed in the building at one time. Reserve units are temporarily out of commission.
All of the precautions put in place have kept the entire police force in Southwick relatively healthy. Only one employee has tested positive thus far for COVID-19. That individual self-quarantined and has since been cleared to return to work.
Southwick Police have bumped up patrols to ensure social distancing measures are being followed, dispersing gatherings at local basketball courts and boat ramps near Congamond Lake.
Bishop said the school and parks & recreation department’s willingness to close the basketball courts by taping off the area has curbed gatherings in those locations. The town has also installed new signs inside boat ramp areas to dissuade large gatherings.
The Town of Southwick, as of Thursday, is now mandating masks inside essential businesses until further notice, adding one more thing for officers to enforce.
Once social distancing guidelines are eventually relaxed or lifted, Bishop said it is likely that the department will also install plexiglass barriers inside the police station to protect the health of officers and the public.
