The Lake County Sheriff’s Office continues to temporarily scale back nonessential responsibilities, which will not impact public safety.
Effective immediately the following additional services are being suspended until further notice:
Evictions
Judicial Sales
Ride-Alongs
Fingerprinting
Explorer Program
Internship Program
Jail/Department Tours
The Lake County Jail is working closely with our medical provider’s COVID-19 response team to ensure all possible precautions are being taken within the jail. If an inmate is believed to have contracted COVID-19, they will be moved to an isolation jail cell, which utilizes reverse air-flow technology. If additional medical care is needed, protocols are in place to transport them to an area hospital, where they will remain under guard. New inmates brought into custody at the jail will be screened by the medical provider for symptoms. They will be asked additional screening questions to better determine if they could have been exposed to COVID-19. Increased monitoring of inmates is taking place in an effort to quickly identify if an inmate begins showing symptoms.
Additionally, nonessential, non-sworn personnel will begin remotely working from their residence. This is being done in our continued effort to reduce the possible spreading of COVID-19. Sworn-deputies assigned to these nonessential duties are being temporarily reassigned to the Patrol Division.
Sheriff John Idleburg emphasized, “We will continue working to keep our community safe throughout the COVID-19 disease. Our frontline first-responders including our law-enforcement, telecommunicators, firefighters, paramedics, and others will be out in full force, protecting the community. Our correctional staff will continue ensuring the wellbeing of our inmates. I urge the community to not panic, remain calm, and be diligent during these times. Working together we will get through this.”
Sheriff’s Office Suspending Participation in Nonessential External Community Events
Due to the respiratory illness COVID-19, and the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Illinois Governor’s Office to avoid large gatherings, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office is suspending participation at all nonessential external community events until further notice.
These events consist of, but are not limited to:
2020 Spring Citizens Police Academy
Sheriff’s Senior Advocacy Meetings
Countywide Senior Events
Youth Mentoring Programs
Character Education Programs
Community Coalition Meetings
Career Fairs
Drug Takeback Events
Special Olympic Fundraising Events
Programming within the Lake County Jail
The purpose of this is to protect the risk of spreading the infectious COVID-19 disease.
Sheriff John Idleburg said, “The most important thing to do right now is remain calm and follow the advice of the Lake County Health Department and Center for Disease Control. Panicking will not help anyone in our community, and it will only lead to disruption. I am cancelling these nonessential events, as I want to do our part to reduce the potential spreading of COVID-19 to the community and our internal staff.”
Continue following preventative measures and if you feel ill, do not go into school, work, or the community, contact your doctor. All official information regarding COVID-19 will come from trusted sources such as the CDC, Illinois Governor’s Office, or Lake County Government.