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The Vermont State Police is changing the way it responds to minor incidents in anticipation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new response procedures are designed to reduce troopers’ exposure to the coronavirus in the line of duty. In addition, the Department of Public Safety is asking troopers to use social distancing and personal protective equipment to limit contact with people who may have the virus.
The new guidance was released on Saturday in response to questions raised about policing strategies by VTDigger on behalf of readers who sent in tips about the new Vermont State Police practices.
Policy responses will be “tiered,” based on the public safety threat level, according to Adam Silverman, spokesman for the state police. The upshot is, more work may be conducted by phone instead of in-person investigations, depending on the public safety threat level associated with the incident.
The state police are asking the public to report minor car crashes and vandalism incidents by phone, while threats to public safety, such as homicides, motor vehicle crashes with injuries, missing persons cases and domestic assault, would be investigated by troopers in person.
One of the tiers is maintaining normal operations, he said.
“The Vermont State Police are still open for business,” Silverman said in an interview. Anything considered “a life-threatening circumstance” would still be investigated in person, he said.
In the interest of public safety, Silverman said, the threshold for in-person probes is at the discretion of the head of the Vermont State Police Col. Matthew Birmingham and the commissioner of the Department of Public Safety Michael Schirling.
“These modifications are undertaken out of an abundance of caution to ensure we are taking appropriate steps to reduce unnecessary risks of exposure to COVID-19 for members of the Vermont State Police and for Vermont residents,” Schirling said.
“The public should rest assured that our services remain available. We are continuing to function as a law-enforcement agency should under the unusual circumstances we all are facing,” said Birmingham, director of the Vermont State Police. “The state police is taking prudent precautions to ensure we can continue to respond to calls for service, as Vermonters rightfully expect us to do.”
The press release Silverman sent to reporters about the new guidance did not include a link to the actual policies in question.
