Published in the March 30, 2020 edition.
WAKEFIELD — As we continue to deal with a highly-contagious coronavirus strain, everyone has to do things differently and the Wakefield Police are no different.
In order to comply with Gov. Charlie Baker’s social distancing guidelines, for example, local police will be suspending in-person firearms license processing until further notice. New and renewal applicants are requested to submit their full application by mail to the Wakefield Police Department, 1 Union St., Wakefield, MA 01880 to the attention of “Firearms Licensing.”
Instructions and forms can be found at www.wakefieldpd.org/applications-forms/pages/licensing-civil-fingerprinting
Renewal applicants who submit their application prior to their expiration date will not have their license to carry expire. New applicants will have their applications entered into the system and they will be ready for processing once authorities are cleared to resume.
If you have questions contact police at 339-219-4509.
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Following are other coronavirus-related updates from police regarding their current operations:
• The Wakefield Police Department continues to monitor the COVID-19 – coronavirus, and is working closely with the Town Administrator, Fire Department, Emergency Management Director and health officials. Public safety is our primary responsibility and we will always respond immediately to 911 emergencies and urgent calls for service. However, we are asking citizens to limit visits to the lobby of the Public Safety Building for non-emergency reasons.
• During this national emergency, you may notice that officers are screening calls more thoroughly and taking reports over the phone for issues or incidents that we feel would not require a visit to your home. Some examples could be:
1. Neighbor disputes/civil matters
2. Calls for advice
3. Credit card / Identity theft
• If you have a situation that can be resolved over the phone by speaking with a police officer, please call our business line at 781-245-1212. Please continue to use 911 for all emergencies and medical calls.
• When an officer does respond to your home, we request that you to step outside to keep an appropriate social distance whenever that is possible.
• Firearms license applications can be found on our website, www.wakefieldpd.org, and can be mailed to the station to begin the process.
• The residents of Wakefield have always been very generous to us, and it’s very much appreciated. However, we are unable to accept any kind of food or beverage brought to the station until this situation subsides.
• We have suspended our traditional roll calls at the start of each shift. Officers are checking roll call information remotely from their cruiser laptops.
• Officers are cleaning and disinfecting their work stations and cruisers at the beginning and end of each shift.
• The DPW has sent extra crews to clean and sanitize the station, and also have assisted in obtaining supplies. They have been outstanding throughout this process.
• Specific cruisers and other equipment have been assigned to small groups of officers to help eliminate any cross-contamination.
Police Chief Steven Skory said, “We thank all of our citizens for your understanding and cooperation during these unprecedented times. Although we have had to modify some of our interactions, we are still here for you day and night. You are the reason why we come to work every day, and we look forward to re-connecting as soon as that can be done safely.”
