Allegheny County Sheriff closes Firearms Division after covid exposure

The Firearms Division of the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office is closed until further notice after a covid-19 exposure, the office announced via its Facebook page.

“We will be sanitizing the office and waiting room as a precautionary measure due to covid exposure,” officials wrote in the post. Canceled appointments will be able to be rescheduled at a later date.

The office previously closed the Firearms Division to all walk-ins, indicating it would move to appointment-only. Appointments at the time were booked through April.

Officials also postponed a satellite event last weekend as covid-19 cases in Allegheny County surged into the hundreds each day. The event had been scheduled for Nov. 21 but Chief Deputy Kevin Kraus said going forward with the event “would cause a very hazardous environment for applicants, sheriff’s office personnel and the first responders” from Ohio Township who were to assist in the event.

“We are duty-bound to ensure the safety of the general public,” he said at the time.

A post earlier this month on the office’s Facebook page showed lines wrapping around the courthouse.