For Many Cops, ‘Public Safety’ Doesn’t Include Covid-19
First police resisted masks, now they’re opposing vaccine mandates. Does ‘protect and serve’ not apply to public health?
Across the country, police unions are rebelling against vaccine mandates aimed at stemming the spread of the highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant. Local officials everywhere are issuing an ultimatum to officers — get the jab or get out — and some police unions have stated plainly that a large portion of their members will choose the latter if it comes to that. Vaccination rates among police are generally abysmal, lagging far behind those of the general public even though they were among the first to get access.
In Denver, an estimated 43 percent of officers have gotten at least one shot, which is a little over half the citywide rate. Nevertheless, the local police union is pushing back hard against attempts by public safety officials to impose a hard deadline for vaccination on city employees.
‘Personal vaccination beliefs’
Seattle police are the latest to join the fray. The guild representing the majority of sworn officers issued a statement earlier this week, saying that a newly announced vaccine mandate violated the collective bargaining agreement.
