SE Dallas News

Mesquite Police Department officers are wearing masks to protect its men and women from the spread of the novel coronavirus.  

They have been trained in the proper methods of using the personal protective equipment.

"The Mesquite Police Department has been taking this event seriously from the very onset, and have tried to be progressive at keeping our officers and employees healthy and working while also keeping our community safe,” MPD Capt. Quinn Averett told The Spectrum.

The department is using a variety of measures to protect officers. One is that fingerprinting is being suspended. Police officers are also taking sanitation and decontamination efforts in order to keep them and their families safe.

According to Sergeant Wyatt Oliver, officers are taking courses to instruct them on the virus and safety precautions.

“Our officers have been directed to be visible and present at our local businesses and in every single residential neighborhood,” Oliver told The Spectrum. “They have been trained and provided with necessary equipment to keep them safe while still being able to do their jobs. Our goal here is to reassure our community through visibility on patrols and through our social media platforms that they are safe."

City of Mesquite staff and departments are preparing in the case that COVID-19 spreads through the city. Some officers have relocated in order to meet the needs of the city, and the city’s Emergency Operations Center has a public information officer and a police administrator working there full time.

Police Chief MaQuade Chelsey said he is collaborating with police officers in other parts of the country, such as Seattle and New York, to see how they are adapting to the COVID-19 situation.

According to The Spectrum, Chelsey met with his administration in mid-February to discuss what other agencies were facing due to the pandemic, and discuss strategies.

When the spread of the virus approached Mesquite, Chelsey “temporarily modified procedures at Mesquite Detention Center.”