photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World File Photo

A Lawrence Police Department vehicle is seen in this file photo from September 2018.

A Lawrence police officer has tested positive for the coronavirus disease, COVID-19, the department said Friday.

The officer first experienced symptoms late Tuesday and “immediately took steps to limit exposure to other persons,” according to a news release from the Lawrence Police Department. The officer has not been on duty since Monday, according to the release.

The department is not releasing any identifying information about the officer for privacy reasons, the release said.

“The officer has not traveled recently, and has not had contact with any known carriers of the virus, so the point of infection is unknown at this time,” the release said.

The officer’s symptoms are mild and he or she is not requiring hospitalization, according to the release.

The department said it is “following best practices and taking necessary steps to protect all members of the department and the community.”

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health is reviewing any close contacts the officer may have had and will be monitoring those people for the development of symptoms, according to the release.

As of early Friday afternoon, local health officials had announced 18 cases of COVID-19 in Douglas County residents. It was not clear late Friday afternoon if the police officer was counted among those cases. In its latest update, Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health listed two cases with unknown origins. The majority of identified cases within the county tested positive after recent travel out of the state or country, and two others likely contracted the disease locally, the health department has said.