Kentucky Sheriff's Office Requests “All Criminal Activities Stop” During Coronavirus Crisis

Law enforcement in Kentucky has made a special tongue-in-cheek request during the current COVID-19 crisis: Quit committing crimes.

“Due to the coronavirus, the sheriff’s department is asking that all criminal activities stop until further notice,” Powell County Sheriff’s Deputy John Edwards jokingly wrote in a Mar. 12 Facebook post. “Thank you for your anticipated cooperation in the matter. We will update you when we deem it’s appropriate to proceed with yo bad selves.”

Kentucky currently has dozens of confirmed coronavirus cases, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Edwards’ colleague, Deputy Eddie Barnes, explained to People that he and other members of the force are taking the pandemic “very seriously” since a lot of people “don’t know what’s going on.”

According to Barnes, officers are acting more cautiously as they continue to serve the roughly 20,000-resident community where “everybody knows everybody.”

“We’re washing hands more, sneezing into our shirts and trying to minimize interactions with people,” he explained.

Barnes said that his department “thought a little bit of humor would help out, too,” as he and other law enforcement members work to keep everyone safe.

After all, he noted, “a little bit of humor goes a long way.”