Friday, April 17, 2020 | 8:30 p.m.
Five North Las Vegas Police officers were in quarantine after they encountered a suspect earlier this month who later tested positive for coronavirus, according to officials and reports.
As of Friday, the officers hadn’t displayed any symptoms of the respiratory illness, according to Patrick Walker, spokesman for North Las Vegas.
But an investigation into the April 9 incident — in which body-camera footage was viewed — determined that the officers broke protocol by not wearing personal protective equipment that had been provided to them, Walker said. It wasn’t clear if they were facing any discipline, although they were due back to work on April 24.
Investigators don’t know when the suspect was infected with the novel virus, but that person began showing symptoms on April 11, two days after the encounter, Walker said.
A COVID-19 test came back positive, and Police Chief Pam Ojeda contacted the Emergency Operation Center and temporarily pulled the officers from the force under paid leave, Walker said.
Details about the nature of the incident were not provided, and it wasn’t clear if the suspect was arrested.
“Since the beginning of this pandemic,” officers have been given goggles, masks, gloves, sanitizers, cleaning supplies and instructions on how to properly use them, Walker said.
Officers have been instructed to wear some of the protective equipment in every interaction, Walker said. They failed to do that, he added.
“Luckily, none to date have shown any signs or symptoms,” said Walker, who noted that nurses from the emergency operation center have been in constant contact with the quarantined officers.
