DENTON, TX, March 15, 2020 – Beginning at 6 a.m. Sunday, March 15, an additional phone line will be activated for the Denton Police Department. This phone number, (940) 349-8173 will be utilized for all non-emergency situations where a report can be taken over the phone. Additionally, the front lobby of the police department will be closed until further notice out of an abundance of caution during the City’s COVID-19 response.
While our non-emergency line will still be active, we strongly encourage all residents to call this line directly if you know your call is not an emergency, and therefore could potentially be resolved over the phone. When you call this number, you will be transferred directly to an officer who will be able to speak with you, take a report, and/or provide you with additional resources— the same as they would in-person.
Denton PD has been closely monitoring the evolving situation regarding COVID-19, and we recognize that social distancing is strongly recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prevent the spread of this virus. This additional phone line will limit the number of times our officers need to come into direct contact with residents or enter residents’ homes. Our goal is to proactively protect both our residents and our officers from potentially exposing each other.
As always, if you have an emergency, please call 911. We have listed out call types where officers will absolutely still be responding in-person (see below). Please keep in mind that this list is not all inclusive, and an officer may still be dispatched to your location depending on the circumstances.
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Sexual Assaults
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Family/Domestic Disturbances
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Any disturbances involving violence or the threat of violence
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Thefts, Burglaries, and Robberies in progress or just occurred or where evidence is present
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Major Crashes with road blockage or injuries
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Missing Persons
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Any Class B and above assaultive offenses
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Fights
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Any Injury to a Child/Elderly/Disabled
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Intoxicated drivers or people
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Welfare Concerns
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Any in-progress calls that have a potential of risk to life or safety (Shots Heard, Suicidal People, etc.)
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Any call that a supervisor deems appropriate
Thank you in advance for helping us through this temporary response protocol. We appreciate the public’s understanding of our need to limit face-to-face contacts at this time for the benefit of all.
Contact: Allison Beckwith, (940) 349-8558, DentonPD.MediaRelations@cityofdenton.com