Vaccine mandates in police departments across the country have threatened to deepen a staffing crisis that has already resulted in long wait times for 911 calls and reduced services in a number of cities.
Officers have fled the force in droves in the months since the murder of George Floyd at the hands of an officer drew intense scrutiny to law enforcement practices nationwide.
Low morale, public mistrust, and politically driven budget cuts have contributed to the staffing shortages that presently plague many departments, and vaccine mandates in major cities could accelerate the trend of officers leaving urban forces for the friendlier work environments of small towns and suburbs.
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In late September, for example, dozens of Massachusetts State Police troopers submitted their resignations after the state proceeded with a vaccine mandate, which is set to take effect on Oct. 17.
Michael Cherven, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said some of the officers who resigned plan to take jobs at other police departments that are “offering reasonable alternatives such as mask wearing and regular testing.”
“The State Police are already critically short staffed,” the union president said in a statement about the vaccine mandate.
Like other urban police departments, Seattle has struggled in recent months with an exodus of officers at the same time as the city has suffered from an increase in crime.
In 2020, Seattle endured its highest number of murders in more than 25 years.
The departure of hundreds of officers from the Seattle Police Department since last year had already dramatically delayed 911 response times; in August, the City Council discussed reports that officers took more than an hour to respond to some crimes.
Ahead of a deadline on Oct. 18 for officers to get vaccinated, the Seattle Police Department warned this week that 27% of its officers had not yet submitted their vaccination records and that a critical staffing shortage could occur if the 292 unvaccinated officers did not get the shot before next week.
The Seattle Police Department prepared an emergency plan set to take effect on Wednesday if enough officers don’t submit their vaccine cards.
Under the plan, all types of sworn personnel, including detectives and administrative staff with patrol experience, would be required to start showing up in uniform and responding to 911 calls to cover the staffing gaps.
Los Angeles is struggling with a potentially even greater share of unvaccinated police officers as its Oct. 20 deadline for a vaccine mandate draws closer.
By mid-September, more than 2,600 employees of the Los Angeles Police Department had submitted requests for religious exemptions, raising skepticism about whether such a high number of officers actually held sincere religious beliefs to qualify.
Data from mid-September showed only about half of LAPD personnel had gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, although that number has likely risen ahead of the looming deadline.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Michel Moore said this week that he felt “frustration” with the resistance among LAPD’s rank and file to taking the vaccine.
Some cities that have not yet mandated vaccines for their police departments or that have set deadlines that are now fast approaching have gotten intense pushback from officers as leaders weigh their next steps.
In Leesburg, Virginia, a small suburb of Washington, D.C., the town council postponed its vote on a vaccine mandate after seven police officers threatened to quit the department if they were forced to get vaccinated.
The Leesburg Police Department has an authorized force of just 90 officers.
Nearly three dozen Oregon State Police troopers sued the state over a looming vaccine requirement that will take effect on Oct. 18. On Thursday, A judge dealt a blow to their efforts when he rejected their request to pause the mandate.
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This week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his refusal so far to implement a vaccine mandate covering the New York Police Department, even though he has issued mandates for healthcare workers and public school employees.
Nearly a third of the NYPD remains unvaccinated.
