DeWitt Twp. police officers begin to return to work after COVID-19 outbreak

DEWITT TWP. — Some DeWitt Township police officers have returned to work after a COVID-19 outbreak left them too short-handed to operate the department, according to the township manager. 

Township Manager Andrew Dymczyk said officials closed the 18-member department Oct. 28 because of a "number of positive cases and limited personnel." 

All on-duty officers and township personnel have met the necessary health standards, protocols and timelines to safely return to work, Dymczyk said. Enough officers are returning to staff both the a.m. and p.m. shifts.

Township officials posted a two-sentence message on Facebook last week saying the police department is "currently limited in capacity for service due to the COVID-19 pandemic." 

Dymczyk said Friday that the police department had "a few folks" who tested positive for COVID-19. Others who had close contact with them were asked to quarantine. 

Also Friday, the township posted a statement to its Facebook page asking anyone who came in close contact with a member of the police department between Oct. 14 and Oct. 27 to monitor their health conditions. 

Until the department is fully staffed, the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Michigan State Police, DeWitt Police and Bath Township police will continue to respond to calls in DeWitt Township, Dymczyk said. 

“The staff of the DeWitt Charter Township Police Department is looking forward to getting back to work so that we can continue to service our Township residents," Police Chief Mike Gute said in a press release. "We want to thank our outstanding law enforcement partners who covered while our department was on a short shut down. There was never a concern knowing that these agencies covered DeWitt Township in our time of need."

Contact reporter Kara Berg at 517-377-1113 or kberg@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @karaberg95.