All five police officers in the small northeastern Oklahoma town of Chelsea are in quarantine after the agency discovered an officer and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
The department will continue to take 911 calls but police will not have face to face contact with the public.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office have agreed to respond when calls require an officer on scene. That agreement to step in if COVID-19 hampered an agency’s ability to police its area was struck between multiple agencies in the northeastern part of the state back in March.
Acting Assistant Chief Brad Bump says his officers would rather be doing their jobs in person, but to secure every citizen's safety they're going to obey CDC guidelines.
"We'll be back and we'll get through this," Bump said.
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