The Hays County Sheriff’s Office is attempting to lessen the spread of COVID-19 and protect their employees while continuing to serve residents.
Law enforcement officers provide vital community services to Hays County during times of emergencies while many residents are able to stay home. Hays County will continue to provide these necessary services to residents but will take precautions to reduce the spread of the virus to officers and to the residents they interact with.
Law enforcement will continue to respond to emergency and life threatening calls throughout this period. Non-emergency calls will be handled over the phone as much as possible, and if a response is absolutely necessary, dispatchers will ask if anyone in the home has symptoms of the virus.
Officers responding to calls will not enter a residence unless it is absolutely necessary. Residents may be asked to step outside to speak with officers to keep a “social distance” of 6 feet. Civilian “ride-alongs” have been cancelled until further notice.
Jails are admittedly vulnerable to the virus as their inmates reside in close quarters. Hays County is also taking precautions to protect inmates from visitors and incoming inmates who may carry the virus.
All face to face visits in jails have been canceled until further notice except for attorney visits. Video visits are still an option to speak with inmates.
For incoming inmates, medical staff will assess if someone may have COVID-19 during intake. If the arrestee is showing symptoms, they will be redirected to a hospital and will not be accepted into the jail until they have been cleared by a doctor.
According to the CDC, people can carry and spread the virus while they are not showing symptoms. Other Texas counties like Collin County have considered further precautions like providing citations for low-level misdemeanors rather than arresting to reduce the number of people entering the jail, and lessening the risk of the virus.
All volunteer services have been suspended and other access to the jail will be limited to persons with a legitimate law enforcement purpose.
