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COVID-19 Forcing Some Jails, Police Departments to Close

The coronavirus surge is creating problems for Missouri police departments and sheriff’s offices, forcing some to temporarily close to the public and prompting others to relocate jail inmates.

Springfield police on Monday shut down the lobby of the police station, citing a staffing shortage made worse by the impact of COVID-19.

Smaller departments are feeling the impact too. COVID-19 illnesses and quarantines left the Howard County Sheriff’s Department with just two full-time and one part-time deputy, so the sheriff’s office has been closed since Thanksgiving.

Staffing shortages forced Howard and Pike counties to transfer jail inmates to nearby counties.