HAYS COUNTY – In an attempt to mitigate the spreading of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and still provide law enforcement services to Hays County, deputies have placed the following protocols in place.
Law Enforcement Response:
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• Emergency/life-threatening calls or “in progress” calls for service will remain the same and will not change.
• Non-Emergency/routine calls for service will be handled over the phone if at all possible. If a response is required, our dispatchers have been directed to ask if anyone in the household is exhibiting symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.
• Deputies responding to a residence will make every attempt not to go inside the residence unless it is absolutely necessary and will be asking people to step outside when responding to a call for service.
• Deputies will try to maintain a “social distance” of approximately six feet with people they are interacting with.
• All civilian “ride alongs” have been cancelled until further notice.
Jail Operations
• All face to face visits have been cancelled until further notice with the exception of attorney visits. Video visits are still available for the inmates.
• During the intake of arrestees, our medical staff will assess the arrestee specifically for COVID-19. If the arrestee is showing symptoms of the virus, he/she will be redirected to a hospital and will not be accepted into the jail until he/she has been cleared by a doctor.
• All volunteer services have been suspended until further notice.
• Access to the jail will be limited to persons with a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
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