Good Afternoon:

The City of Philadelphia has updated its posture concerning the Covid-19
pandemic. Beginning today (March 17, 2020), the City is suspending all
public-facing services. To that end, most municipal buildings will be closed to
the public, as the City tries to limit the potential for exposure to Covid-19.
Patrol Districts will remain open to the public.

In addition, beginning Wednesday, March 18, 2020, only essential employees
will be required to come in to work. If you have questions about who is
essential and non-essential, please consult with your supervisor.

In tandem with the City?s enhanced response, the Police Department will
also be making modifications to several of our existing protocols. These
adjustments include the following:

Effective Today (March 17, 2020), during the 4pm 12am tour,
arrests for the following offenses will be effectuated via Arrest
Warrant:

All Narcotics Offenses

Theft from persons

Retail Theft

Theft from auto

Burglary

Vandalism

All Bench warrants

Stolen auto

Economic crimes (bad checks, fraud)
Prostitution

Officers who encounter persons who would ordinarily be
arrested for these offenses, and processed at a detective division
immediately following arrest, will adhere to the following
procedures:

Temporarily detain the offender for the length of time
required to confirm identity (this may require the
deployment of mobile fingerprint scanners).

Prepare all relevant paperwork 75-48, 75-48A,
etc.).

Release offender.

Submit all paperwork to the detective division of
occurrence.

The assigned detective will prepare an arrest affidavit
and submit to DACU for review. If charges are approved,
the assigned detective will obtain an Arrest Warrant. The
warrant will be served at a later time, as conditions
dictate.

If an officer believes that releasing the
offender would pose a threat to public safety,
the officer will notify a supervisor, who will
review the totality of the circumstances and
utilize discretion, in the interest of public

safety, in determining the appropriate course
of action.

Personnel from several plain-clothes specialized units will be
temporarily reassigned to uniform patrol duties.

The ?Live Stop? vehicle impoundment program will be suspended
until further notice.

In-service MPO and other types of training will be temporarily
suspended.

Roll calls will be modified to ensure proper social distancing; and
officers will take measures to ensure the same when responding to
calls for service.

Instructions regarding the maintenance of Sending Receiving
Sheets for Covid-19 related issues are forthcoming.

Commanding Officers will monitor sick usage by personnel for each
tour, and report manpower deficiencies through the
chain-of?command.

Instructions regarding overtime usage and documentation related
to Covid-19 are forthcoming.

Police Radio will redirect certain calls for service to district
operations rooms.

It is also imperative that police personnel cease planning and
participating in events involving the gathering of ten or more persons.

Most importantly, we want all of our members to stay healthy. You have
control over the most important things you can do to protect yourself.

The first is to respect the recommended social distance of 6?feet (when
possible) during interactions with people. Also, wash your hands regularly
with soap and water. Please wear nitrile gloves. And when removing the
gloves, do so without touching the outside of the glove. Whether wearing
protective gloves or not, do not touch your face. OEM is in the process of
purchasing additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all officers.

While we are interested in creating as many barriers to exposure as possible,
the health department tells us masks are not needed for protection from the
virus. Masks should be worn by people who have Covid-19, to prevent them

from spreading the coronavirus.

Please remain vigilant, as your safety and that of your family is paramount.

We realize that this is a significant amount of information to absorb.
Accordingly, you can expect to have a supervisor brief you on this and other
matters surrounding Covid-19. As this pandemic situation is inherently fluid,
updates and further instruction will be provided as conditions dictate.

Sincerely,

Danielle M. Outlaw