Policing during a pandemic

The pandemic has impacted how almost all of us work. Law enforcement officers, too, have made major changes to every aspect of their duties.

Officer Jennifer Rackliffe with the Fort Myers Police Department says social distancing is a challenge. She explains how it can be tough at scenes where there’s a loss of life, as many people look to police officers for reassurance and comfort in that situation.

“Some calls, you know that you can maintain that social distance and people just want you there to answer questions or whatever,” Rackliffe said. “When there’s kids involved, you do want to be right there, or you want to comfort those who just lost loved ones. And it’s hard to maintain that social distance.”

And if it’s hard to comfort people from six feet apart, it’s even harder to display readable emotions while wearing a mask.

“It’s hard, because with the mask and everything you can see only the top part of your face… so it can be a little intimidating when you walk up to a car; they can’t see if you’re smiling,” Rackliffe said.

Police sometimes also wear eye protection and gloves while on duty. Rackliffe says masks are mandatory for every call, and she expects police to continue wearing masks for a while.