Tiffin and Fostoria Police preparing for staffing issues amid coronavirus pandemic

Police departments in Tiffin and Fostoria are preparing for potential staffing issues as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

While neither agency is experiencing staffing issues currently, should staffing levels at Tiffin or Fostoria’s dispatch or patrol divisions get to a pre-determined level that they cannot be covered with department staff, the other agency is to provide that staffing.

Tiffin Police and Fostoria Police have protocols and procedures in place to establish the crossover functions.

Already, Tiffin Police and Fostoria Police have a memorandum of understanding and share resources when it comes to the Drug Task Force, Special Response Teams (SRTs), and Crisis Negotiation Teams (CNTs).

The decision by Tiffin Police Chief Fred Stevens and Fostoria Police Chief Keith Loreno is another extension of already-established resource sharing.

Currently, the police departments have taken measures to limit exposure to staff and the public by:

• Restricting contact inside the departments with the public by closing buildings to normal business items
• Restricted basic calls for service to being taken over the phone
• Restricted access to records to online or phone requests

“I commend Chief Stevens and Chief Loreno for their efforts to come together for the good of our citizens during this time of crisis,” Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz said in a news release.

Fostoria Mayor Eric Keckler also commented, saying “This just goes to show that the spirit of cooperation is strong in Seneca County and I applaud Fred and Keith on this partnership. This is a matter of safety not just for the citizens, but also for our uniformed officers.”