In response to the coronavirus outbreak and to keep local law enforcement officers safe, the Clinton Police Department and the DeWitt County Sheriff's Office are adjusting how they respond to calls from the public.

In a release late Thursday, DeWitt County Sheriff Mike Walker and Police Chief Ben Lowers indicate they will only be responding to high priority calls. Those include violent crimes, in-progress calls with offenders on scene and traffic crashes or serious injury incidents.

Low priority calls will be handled via phone and those include delayed incidents with no offender on a scene or an incident that is not in progress, civil matters or calls where a police report is requested.

If a call requires the response of an officer to the scene, callers are asked to meet the police officer or sheriff's deputy outside. 

For incidents that can be taken care of over the telephone, authorities are asking residents to not come to the Sheriff's office and police department. Additionally, if you have had a fever in the last week, been to a country where the coronavirus is spreading or been in contact with someone who has, and if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or been with people who have the flu, you are asked to not come to the Sheriff's office or the police department.