New York City Department of Parks and Recreation employees remove the basketball hoop from a court in Tompkins Square Park, Thursday, March 26, 2020, in New York. Across the U.S., police departments are taking a lead role in enforcing social distancing rules that health officials say are critical to containing the coronavirus. In New York City, they've started dismantling basketball hoops to prevent people from gathering in parks and playing. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
March 26, 2020
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A new beat for police across US: Enforcing social distance
NEW YORK (AP) — In New York City, they've started dismantling basketball hoops to prevent people from gathering in parks and playing. In Lakewood, New Jersey, police broke up a wedding being held in violation of a ban on large gatherings. And in Austin, Texas, officers are encouraging people to call a hotline to snitch on violators of the city's orders for people to stay home.