Memo to New Castle Residents concerning covid-19

New Castle Residents,

In light of the unique and challenging circumstances facing our community and our nation as a whole, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk to you about how our officers are working to safeguard our city and to continue our community policing efforts while protecting themselves and you from the coronavirus.

Foremost, the New Castle City Police Department officers will continue to patrol our city’s neighborhoods, proactively address crime and public safety issues and respond to calls for assistance from residents. However, to do all we can to prevent the spread of this virus and to keep residents and officers safe, some new safety measures are being implemented.

First, residents who call police for non-emergencies may be screened by the Lawrence County Emergency Operations Center (911 Center) if the calls meet certain criteria.  That criteria being anyone presenting fever, chills, cough (flu symptoms) and/or breathing problems.

 Asking these questions allows first responders — police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel – to take proper precautions when responding to any scene.

Secondly, when our officers respond to a home or business on a non-emergent call for service, residents may be asked to meet with the officer outside rather than inside. Again, this is a safety precaution designed to follow the CDC’s social distancing recommendation of keeping six feet of distance to reduce the potential for any spread of the coronavirus.

Third, NCPD officers will investigate any non-essential business that is open and disperse any gathering of people not following the guidelines.

Finally, the NCPD would like to remind people that during these difficult times people should be considerate of others rather than engaging in intimidation and spreading fear. The NCPD will thoroughly investigate any such inappropriate actions against members of our community.

I want to assure all New Castle residents during this unprecedented time that our officers are working very hard to protect our neighborhoods and to keep our city safe.

Now, more than ever before, the men and women of the NCPD are rising to the challenge as they serve and protect our city. These small but important changes will help keep everyone — officers and residents — safe while allowing us to continue in our public safety mission.

Thank you, and please be safe and stay informed about the latest recommendations from our federal, state and local governments and health agencies on how to protect yourself and your family from COVID-19 and what to do if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

Robert A. Salem

Chief of Police

New Castle City Police Department