Business as usual for Eureka Police amid COVID-19 pandemic

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM) – The Eureka Police Department only saw a slight increase in call numbers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department saw a decrease in “reportable” crimes during the month of May, including burglaries, stolen vehicles, and assaults. Since the shelter-in-place order, the department handles around 200 incidents a day including calls for service and proactive patrols. That number is only a slight increase above the usual amount.

Officers are now required to wear masks and social distance, but daily operations are back to normal. Facial coverings have not caused any problems for officers when identifying suspects. The only challenge for EPD is finding more masks for officers to wear.