Mt. Juliet, Tenn. – After a substantial rise in COVID-19 cases across Tennessee, the police department is taking additional measures to ensure the safety of staff and preserve public safety response capabilities. The Tennessee Department of Health reported that Tennessee now has the highest infection rate in the country, with more than 40% new cases above average reported and hospital capacity diminishing. The safety and well-being of those who live, work, and visit the Mt. Juliet community is the police department’s utmost concern. Therefore, the department must maintain essential police services to the community, and the department has taken the following steps to protect those we serve and our staff:
- Operations at Mt. Juliet Police Headquarters will be closed to the public at least until January 11, 2021. Victims of a crime will still have access to police assistance at headquarters if phone reporting is not possible.
- Community members who need to report past-occurred crimes, or other crimes which they were inclined to visit police headquarters in-person to report, should call the police department at 615-754-2550 to determine if an officer can assist over the phone, instead of in person.
- If a community member is experiencing an emergency, they should dial 911 and an officer will respond to assist. However, for some non-emergency situations, an officer may be able to help via the phone, or community members can file an online report for specific incidents such as lost property, destruction of property, civil disputes, financial crimes, theft, alcohol violations, or harassing calls/emails. Officers will continue to respond to in-progress incidents, any incident that requires evidence processing, and incidents requiring immediate police intervention.
- Community members can use the Mt. Juliet Police Department’s website at www.mjpd.org to access the Online Reporting System and follow the detailed instructions to see if their incident is reportable online. If anyone has anyone has questions about filing an online report, or if online reporting is not appropriate for their situation, they should contact the police department at 615-754-2550 for assistance.
- The department’s records and court clerk office will be closed to the public until further notice. If anyone needs a copy of a report, please call 615-754-2550 or visit the department’s website at www.mjpd.org. Staff members will make arrangements to mail or email the report.
- There is no traffic court scheduled during this closure, and all traffic school instruction is conducted online.
- All citation payment due dates have been placed on hold until further notice. Those who have due dates during the hold period should not worry. All in-person citation processing has ceased, and those affected will have an opportunity to satisfy their citation at a later date. Those who wish to pay online can continue to do so.
- If anyone calls 911 for an emergency, or the non-emergency dispatch number, 615-754-2550, they should understand that the communication dispatchers have been instructed to ask additional questions regarding possible Coronavirus exposure factors for specific instances.
- The citizen ride-along program continues to be suspended until further notice.
- Officers continue to take COVID-19 precautions when interacting with community members on calls for service, for both the protection of the person(s) they are assisting, as well as for the officers themselves.
“Tennessee is experiencing a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases, and just today, five members of our department have tested positive or are experiencing symptoms and are awaiting test results. I continue to strongly encourage everyone to take precautions to limit the spread of the virus”, stated Chief James Hambrick. “While taking precautions within the department, Mt. Juliet’s dedicated police officers and staff continue to work hard to keep our community safe.”
These measures are necessary for the community we serve. For our staff members to adequately provide the level of service to the community it expects, we must consider both the health of the community and our staff members.
These are important reminders on how you can protect your health:
- Wear a mask or face covering when out in public.
- Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home if you feel ill.
- Get tested for COVID-19 if you feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing and have been in close contact with a person known to have confirmed coronavirus.
- Stay informed and up to date with information directly from the CDC (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html), the Tennessee Department of Health (https://www.tn.gov/health/cedep/ncov.html), and Wilson County Emergency Management Agency’s (https://www.wilsonema.com/covid19/) websites.
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