The Kern County Sheriff's Office announced Thursday afternoon that they will be limiting responses to life-threatening or emergency calls only. KCSO will also be suspending all normal visitation and classes at all detention facilities until further notice.

In a statement released by the KCSO the decision was made out of "an abundance of caution, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies, is implementing new procedures in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The purpose is to ensure the health and safety of our community as public safety is our number one priority."

"Law enforcement will respond to any life-threatening and/or emergency calls. However, if a member of the public is calling to report an incident that is not life-threatening and not in-progress, we will be taking phone reports. We will still respond to the area as needed to address any other portions of the investigation, but will be limiting contact with the public for the safety and protection of community members and peace officers."

For non-emergency calls, KCSO recommends the public contact the Communications Center at 661-861-3110 or make a report online.