KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department members have tested positive for COVID-19 and 16 others are in quarantine, the department said Wednesday morning.
One of the employees who tested positive is a sworn officer, and the other is a non-sworn civilian employee who is responsible for administrative tasks.
KCPD spokesperson Capt. David Jackson said the department has enacted procedures and is working to quarantine those who had direct contact with the employees who tested positive.
“The members are home and we look forward to their return to work once the virus runs its course,” Jackson said in a statement.
Later Tuesday morning, Sgt. Jake Becchina said the department has provisions in place that will allow the department to continue police service with the potential increase in sick calls due to COVID-19.
Becchina said KCPD's main priority is answering 911 calls, and when officers respond, they will follow social distancing guidelines.
In a week-to-week comparison with the same time in 2019, Becchina said high-priority calls are only down by small percentages, around 6%, due to the stay-at-home orders.
Officers will continue to deploy in a normal patrol capacity, Becchina said.
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This is a developing story and will be updated.
