Page 18 - The Guardians - MPD Summer 2020 Newsletter

The impact of at home,” explained Officer "At the beginning of our shifts,

COVID-19 Tolentino. to have into work. do, we we spray the inside of our squad

during
COVID-
“Even
19
a
job
still
to
we
with
water
cars
and
bleach
When
go
have
still
solution.
also
Every
officer
we
we
both
day, are done with work for the wears latex gloves and we have
our
uniforms
wear
a mask that we can use if need
home but the only equipment we be. Typically we use personal
Featuring: Erika Tolentino, Milwaukee
bring into the house is our actual
Police Officer protection equipment (PPE)
uniform and that goes straight into when responding to medical
washer machine, and it gets
calls or when we might need to
For Milwaukee Police Officer Erica
washed.” provide medical assistance,”
Tolentino, COVID-19 hits close to
said Tolentino.
home.
Before COVID-19 was declared a
public health emergency, MPD
Milwaukee police officers
As a mother of two children who are
implemented strategies to prevent respond to over 500 known
under 10-years-old, the thought of
further spread to citizens in
COVID-19 positive locations
contracting a virus and passing it along
Milwaukee. Officers were each week, in addition to
to her family remains a scary thought.
required to disinfect their squads
countless traffic stops, citizen
Unfortunately, this has become her
frequently and wear personal contacts, and other interactions
reality for the past several months.
protection equipment to certain
with the public that place our
calls when interacting with the members at a significant risk of
“My husband and I are both Milwaukee
public.
contracting the virus.
Police Officers so it's a unique situation
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