Officers to limit in-person response, take reports over the phone due to COVID-19

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Some police departments in Middle Tennessee are temporarily altering the way officers respond to calls amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metro Nashville police will begin to take non-violent and non-emergency reports by telephone in order to help distance interactions between officers and the public.

"Officers will be triaging non-emergency and non-violent calls for service where the perpetrator is not present to determine whether a report can be taken via telephone instead of in-person," MNPD Chief Steve Anderson said. "This program was designed to promote the health of the men and women protecting Nashville’s public safety as well as that of our residents and visitors."

Callers whose report is taken over the phone will receive an incident number, the officer's name who took the report, information on how to obtain a copy of the report and any telephone numbers for follow up if needed.

These calls include the following:

• Non-injury vehicle crashes that are not blocking the roadway, there is no disturbance between drivers, no driver impairment and no vehicles that need to be towed
• Lost property, with the exclusion of firearms or narcotics
• Identity theft with no physical evidence needed to be collected
• Theft from a publicly accessible space
• Theft from vehicles with no recoverable evidence at the scene, with the exclusion of firearms
• Vandalism or damage where the suspect is not present and the loss is less than $5,000

MNPD is distributing 235 new cell phones to officers to help take reports over the phone.

In Clarksville, officers will be sent to calls that involve a violent crime or an urgent response. Citizens will be contacted by phone for incidents that do not require immediate officer presence, are non-violent calls, and may require a report.

Clarksville police precinct lobbies will also close to public access. They will be available by phone at 931-648-0656 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Murfreesboro police will also being taking non-emergency reports over the phone. If you are needing to report a non-emergency, call the tele-service unit at 615-893-1311.

Fire departments are also taking steps to protect their staff.

Clarksville Fire and Rescue will continue to respond to emergency calls, but in some cases they will be wearing required personal protective equipment.