UPDATED: 8:28 a.m., Saturday:
Bucks County officials said Saturday after daybreak that the officer was not infected while on duty.
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Original Story:
A Middletown police officer is among the latest cases of COVID-19.
Multiple law enforcement sources and the police department confirmed the information after the result came back Friday evening.
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“We did have an officer receive a positive test result this evening. He is doing well for now and is resting and recovering in isolation at home, and is following the county health department’s instructions,” Chief of Police Joseph Bartorilla said in a statement early Saturday morning.
The officer, who was not named, was infected at an unknown time.
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The department spent Friday evening identifying people the officer had “recent close, prolonged contact” with and had them self-quarantine, the chief said.
Any officers forced to isolate themselves will take a COVID-19 test and be cleared by the Bucks County Health Department if the result is negative before being allowed to return to work, Bartorilla stated.
“This will ensure that we minimize the rest of the department’s chance for infection and also that we don’t risk spreading it beyond our department,” Bartorilla added.
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Police have turned over a record of people the officer had contact with to the county health department, who they said will be performing contact tracing.
Officers in surrounding towns who may have had contact with the officer were self-isolating for 14 days. Although, none of those officers have been symptomatic, sources said.
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Middletown police continue handle law enforcement duties in the township and will work with the health department.
In the case that additional manpower is needed in any area community, the Bucks County Police Chiefs Association has a mutual aid agreement between agencies that allows municipal departments to operate in towns outside their jurisdiction if required, the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office said last week.
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As COVID-19 cases have spread, local police agencies have been discussing potential impacts and how they would adapt.
Last week, a 25-year-old Lower Providence, Montgomery County, police officer tested positive. The case marked the first known one of a law enforcement official in the region.
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