Coronavirus leads some Southern California police stations to close doors to public

Police departments throughout Southern California are making changes to help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, including closing their station doors and encouraging online requests for service.

While many say they will keep responding in person to crimes in progress, agencies are encouraging those who can report less urgent matters or service requests to do so by phone or online.

“So we’re still providing the service. We’re just adapting new ways to do them … and trying to limit unnecessary contact,” said Fullerton police Sgt. Eric Bridges. Starting Tuesday, March 17, the Fullerton Police Department’s front desk was closed. “It will be staffed to take phone calls but not public contact.”

Across the region, police agencies are closing their doors and pushing for alternative ways to work with the public — from Corona to Fontana and to the Los Angeles Police Department — all in an effort to slow the spread of the fast-moving COVID-19.

Some agencies have telephones outside stations that people can use to file reports or ask questions to staff inside. Many advised the public to call their local police departments’ non-emergency or general phone lines first before going down to a station.

Front service desks at departments are often staffed by civilian staff and cadets, younger people preparing for law enforcement careers. They handle a myriad of services apart from taking crime reports, including applying for certain permits, getting vehicles and property releases and doing fingerprinting.

The fingerprint scanning service is one of those temporarily halted even at open lobbies like at the Costa Mesa Police Department.

Costa Mesa is one of the agencies keeping its doors open, but with limited services. The department encourages people to file things like thefts, vandalism and harassing phone calls online.

“Our LiveScan is closed but we’re keeping our lobby open,” spokeswoman Roxi Fyad said. “If you walk in, you’ll see tape set up so people can practice social distancing while in the lobby. We’re trying to create a space that’s still safe.”

The Los Angeles Police Department, starting Wednesday, is closing front desks in all of their service areas.

“Instead of going to your local area station, we are asking the public to use unique email addresses assigned to each of our 21 area front desks,” the department said in a statement, adding that the email addresses will be monitored around the clock and routed appropriately.

There will be some exceptions for child custody exchanges, vehicle and property releases, attorney visits and bail or bond releases, officials said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday that all of the front lobbies of their buildings and contract city police service stations were closed. The agency services most of south Orange County, unincorporated areas and the jails. One day earlier the department also suspended visitation and programs for inmates.

On Tuesday morning people walked up to the entrance of the Santa Ana Police Department — one of the first agencies to announce the lobby closure, on Sunday — and were greeted by locked doors.

Francisco Cuevas, 23, had a folder in hand, ready to collect information so he can proceed with operating a towing business.

“I came to get the information and papers I needed,” the Santa Ana resident said. Although he was surprised at the closure, he wasn’t upset, but he said he wondered what his next steps were going to be.

“Now I guess I’m going to have to wait longer.”

As he peered into the glass doors of the department headquarters on Civic Center Plaza, he noticed the partitions at the service counter.

“Everyone is behind glass, so I don’t really see why they need to close it … but I guess they don’t want people standing around the lobby,” Cuevas said.

Jaime Garcia, 54, was not as forgiving. “Now what am I going to do?” he asked in front of the locked entrance doors.

He rode his bicycle up to the entrance hoping to report his Pontiac van stolen. Days earlier, Garcia was taken to the hospital and the person he entrusted to park his van, while he was being treated never returned it.

“I left work to come and do this,” Garcia said frustrated. When asked if he would call the phone numbers listed on the signs he said: “What for? Even when you call them they don’t always answer.”

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When it comes to when they will re-open, many departments say that is yet to be known. Santa Ana police spokesman Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said the department would be closed for at least two weeks.

“From there we’ll re-evaluate,” he said.

Maria Torres, 45, made the trip to Santa Ana from Moreno Valley Tuesday morning to get a clearance letter for an immigration case for her mother who had lived in the city years earlier.

“I only get so many days to turn that in,” she said sitting in her parked car with her mother in front of the police station. Before making the approximately 50-mile drive home, she planned to call staff at the station from her car just yards from the entrance.

She didn’t know what to make of the department closing because of concerns about the new coronavirus.

“Everyone is saying different things about it,” Torres said. “That it’s bad and that it’s not so bad. What do we believe?”