74: Jason Aduddell

Officer, Allentown Police Department

Jason Aduddell is an Officer for the Allentown Police Department. He works the night shift and did so all throughout the shutdown. His role mainly consists of doing patrols and answering emergency calls for service. Work actually calmed down for him a bit during the pandemic, with crime numbers seeming to have taken a slight dip. Jason suspects it might be due to bars a nightclubs being closed down, which is where a lot of issues formerly arose for the police. A huge change in his job though is that now the 9-1-1 dispatchers need to ask if anyone involved in the call for service has COVID symptoms or a positive test so that the officers can take appropriate precautions upon arrival at the scene. It adds a whole other layer of stress to situations which are already potential emergencies. The early days of the pandemic were the most mentally and emotionally difficult for Jason, as dealing with so many unknowns and fears heightened everyone’s levels of stress. But Jason says his job had inherent dangers even before COVID, and the pandemic was not about to hinder him from doing his job and keeping the community safe. 

Jason lives with his wife, who worked remotely during the shutdown, and their two young daughters. It was a very difficult time for his family, as they had a lot of fears of his possibly contracting the virus and bringing it home. But, though many of his friends and neighbors did contract COVID, Jason managed to stay healthy throughout the pandemic. After all the stress and emotional turmoil of the pandemic, Jason says he hopes that people can learn to treat each other with more respect and to be more patient with each other.