The Union County Sheriff’s Office is taking extra precautions in light of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but Sheriff Ricky Roberts said anyone who wants to see a deputy will get to.
Since the pandemic reached Arkansas about three weeks ago, Roberts has been taking steps to ensure his staff, both in the UCSO and the county jail, are protected as much as possible, along with any suspects held at the jail.
Roberts said he hasn’t seen any upticks in crime lately, but that his office is prepared in the case that crime does increase. For the most part, he said, traffic at the office has been slow and those who have made reports have generally been happy to do it over the phone.
“People are really being cooperative,” he said. “I can’t say anything but good about the people of Union County and I think everybody’s doing their part to get us to the end result here — getting back to business and working.”
He said most of his patrol deputies have shifted their focus to some of the county’s most outlying regions, where he said he believes there is a higher potential for petty thefts to occur.
For minor misdemeanors, like traffic infractions, Roberts said he wants to avoid hassling residents during what is already a trying time. He gave the example of a speeder he saw Wednesday morning on his way to work.
“I just made note of the vehicle and license plate … It’s that judgment call in that area that we’re talking about. Our officers aren’t just going out and writing a bunch of tickets and making contact like that,” he said. “One: because of the chance of contracting the virus; and two: we understand that people are going through some hard times right now. Some people have lost their jobs and we don’t want to be a burden.
“I know there’s going to be some that agree with me and some that don’t,” he went on. “We have to humanize this virus because it’s affecting every one of us in this county, in this state, in these United States, and I don’t want to be a burden on somebody just because he was going 10 miles per hour over the speed limit. I don’t want to put another added burden on him because I don’t know what he’s going through; maybe he lost his job, maybe he has the virus, maybe he was just trying to get to his job.”
However, that doesn’t mean that law enforcement operations have ceased. Misdemeanors are still cited out and deputies are still investigating cases. Roberts said his office has made two felony arrests this week, one of which was cited out, and has a felony warrant to serve. Those who have been cited out for infractions at any level will have to appear in court once the courts begin operating again.
“We’re still doing investigations, we still have deputies patrolling, we’re still writing reports. Just because we don’t book them into jail doesn’t mean we’re not doing our jobs,” he said. “As soon as we can get back to business as usual, these people we cited out with a court date, if they don’t show up, we’re going to actively seek to find and arrest them.”
Deputies and jail staff have also been supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) including surgical masks and face shields so that when they do respond in person, they have that protection.
“If someone calls and they want to see a deputy, we’ll send one,” Roberts said. “But we’re going to try — with minor, misdemeanor thefts — we’re going to try to take that report over the phone. It’s not that we don’t want to see you and we’re not going to take it any less seriously. We’re just going to minimize our contact with people so we can do the job.”
Roberts said that since the pandemic hit Arkansas, five people have been booked into jail, not counting the sixth person that was booked this week. The first five arrestees are currently isolated from the general population of the jail, while this week’s is isolated from those other five recent arrestees for a few days, until he is eventually quarantined with them.
Jail staff are cleaning the jail regularly, and inmates are helping out there, too, Roberts said last week. Inmates’ loved ones and attorneys are still able to contact them through the jail’s video-calling system, which is accessible in the UCSO lobby and at home. There were 150 people incarcerated at the jail Tuesday afternoon, Roberts said.
He advises Union County residents to take precautions to avoid becoming victims of property crimes by locking up valuables, hiding any outdoor equipment from street view and contacting his office if they notice suspicious activity.
Roberts said he understands the strain the pandemic is putting on the community and urged solidarity at this tough time.
“You know, we take for granted the little things in life, and I think now this kind of puts it in perspective for me personally. Just a simple handshake or a hug, and now you’ve got to really think and even say ‘I can’t do that.’ … To me, that’s some of the hardest things I’m having to go through — not being able to see my family and have them over for dinner, just things that prior to COVID-19, we never really thought about,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of people that are ready to get that back and I’m one of them.”
He said his deputies and jail staff are working hard to follow health guidelines while performing their duty to the public.
“Our employees are doing well and I’m grateful for and thankful to them. They come to work, they’ve done everything asked of them, they know the chances that we take every day in the things that we do and this is just an added precaution we’re going to have to work through,” he said. “The men and women of this department have stood tall and have done nothing but great things, from those in the jail taking care of inmates to the deputies down on the street.
“I would ask the public to continue to pray for them, and let’s hope this is over real soon,” he said. “For now we’re staying busy and looking to the future.”