• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Subscribe to the Magazine
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Editor’s Picks
    • The power of teamwork
      Stay awake and alert on the job
      The worst rank in law enforcement
      Firearms maintenance
      Why fries need salt
  • Topics
    • On the Job
      • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
        Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
        Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
        Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
        Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
    • Labor
      • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
        NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
        Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
        Living in the ashes
        Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
    • Tech
      • Illinois police unveil new technology, more body cameras to promote...
        High-tech policing
        Open-source investigations
        Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
        Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
    • Training
      • “The hidden danger is the water”
        Weapon retention
        Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
        Crime prevention training
        So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
    • Policy
      • New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
        New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment...
        Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
        Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
        New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
    • Health/Wellness
      • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide...
        What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
        Supporting a partner in crisis
        Spiritual resilience
        Overcoming relationship communication challenges
    • Community
      • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer...
        LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
        California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
        “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
        Treated like royalty
    • Offbeat
      • Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from...
        Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using...
        Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
        Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
        Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
    • We Remember
      • A living legacy
        Not in vain
        Honoring Fallen Heroes
        Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
        National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • On the Job
    • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway...
      Law enforcement agencies prepare for civil unrest following leaked...
      Arizona troopers find nearly 40 pounds of fentanyl pills and cocaine...
      Equipment and training considerations for pistol-mounted optics
      Think of de-escalation as conflict resolution
  • Labor
    • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law...
      NYPD overtime expected to surpass budget by over $142 million to...
      Portland police shut down cold case unit to reinforce homicide...
      Living in the ashes
      Atlanta mayor wants to hire 450 more police officers to expand...
  • Tech
    • Illinois police unveil new technology, more body cameras to promote...
      High-tech policing
      Open-source investigations
      Virginia lawmakers lift ban on the use of facial recognition...
      Iowa State University simulation training module offers de-escalation...
  • Training
    • “The hidden danger is the water”
      Weapon retention
      Developing trauma-informed training and drills for K–12 schools
      Crime prevention training
      So you want to be a civilian firearms trainer?
  • Policy
    • New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
      New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment...
      Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not...
      Orange County D.A. unveils new PSA against street racing with actors...
      New Jersey revises policy to allow police to engage in car chases...
  • Health/Wellness
    • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide...
      What anxiety is — and what not to do about it
      Supporting a partner in crisis
      Spiritual resilience
      Overcoming relationship communication challenges
  • Community
    • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer...
      LGBTQ police officers allowed to participate in Denver PrideFest...
      California police department helps pay for families’ groceries as a...
      “I thought he was going to die”: 6-year-old calls police to save...
      Treated like royalty
  • Offbeat
    • Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from...
      Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using...
      Maine police arrest man hiding under a blanket in ghost disguise
      Texas burglar mows the lawn before fleeing police
      Drone flying bag of handguns across the U.S.-Canada border gets stuck...
  • We Remember
    • A living legacy
      Not in vain
      Honoring Fallen Heroes
      Florida law enforcement, legislators weigh whether to classify...
      National Law Enforcement Museum offers free Saturday admission for...
  • Between the Lines
    • Persecution of the LEO is Classic Schadenfreude
      The Rule of Law is Worthless Without Order
      School policing: a paradox of the defund movement
      Defending the honor of the LE profession – finally!
      The dichotomy of the defund movement: reality setting in
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Advertise
  • Contact
Search

On the Job

Lack of vaccinations among cops

Early surveys suggest police and other first responders resist COVID-19 vaccines

APB Team Published April 30, 2021 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/Bill Oxford

From Chicago, to Mobile, Alabama, to Dallas-Fort Worth and up to San Jose, California, police agencies admit the COVID-19 vaccination rates among the rank and file have been unexpectedly low, at least early in the year. According to multiple news outlets, vaccination rates among cops by mid-February registered less than 50% for numerous cities and counties. Mobile, Alabama, counted less than 25% of the city’s police force received the first dose. Smaller cities throughout the state tracked at similarly low rates, wrote AL.com in February. Tuscaloosa was an outlier with half of the city’s first responders receiving the first shot of either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.

Law enforcement professionals in Texas also appear somewhat hesitant. NBC 5 News revealed in February that at least four cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region confirmed that less than half of the police forces had lined up for shots. The city of Allen told the news station that approximately 75% of its personnel were not vaccinated yet. However, Dallas Police Department stated approximately 60% of its employees obtained the first dose.

Vaccination rates among cops by mid-February registered less than 50% for numerous cities and counties.

What’s more, too many officers have stated they do not plan on getting inoculated at all. For example, an informal survey by the Chicago Police Department in late January recorded that less than 40% of personnel wanted the vaccine, according to local NPR station WBEZ.

These lackluster responses have some public health experts concerned, especially given the elevated risk of officers contracting the highly transmissible novel coronavirus and its variants. Direct contact with the public, and oftentimes with vulnerable populations, may not always accommodate social distancing and other prescribed precautions, which increases the probability of infection. The National Fraternal Order of Police recorded more than 400 COVID-19 deaths among law enforcement professionals last year, WBEZ reported.

“Let’s face it, they are our heroes, and to see them at risk like this, unnecessarily, really disturbs me,” Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., an infectious disease specialist and researcher with Baylor College of Medicine, commented to NBC 5.

“The mission of the police is to protect and serve, so what better way to protect the community than to get a vaccine,” noted Peter Chin-Hong, M.D., an infectious disease expert with the University of California, San Francisco to The Mercury News.

Many police department administrators deduced that the rollout was slow because officers who had contracted COVID were probably still within the Centers for Disease Control’s recommended 90-day waiting period, so they simply postponed vaccine appointments. There were also considerations to scheduling conflicts as well as individuals adopting a wait-and-see attitude regarding potential negative reactions to the vaccine in others. Some administrators also blame misinformation about the vaccine’s safety and the virus in general. 

“Since the first group of us got the shot and had no major side effects, and as the information base has broadened about how people are reacting to the shot, I think we will continue to see a rise in participation,” Opelika Police Chief Shane Healey told AL.com.

Now that vaccine distribution is in its fourth month and includes a third, one-shot option from Johnson & Johnson, public health officials expect rates to climb among police and other first responders. In fact, some officials in the aforementioned cities suspect vaccination among officers is higher than cataloged because agencies do not always require individuals to share their health information. The San Jose Police Department logged a nearly 60% inoculation rate by mid-February, but leaders hope it could be much higher because employees choose whether or not to alert the department about their vaccination status, and can seek vaccines from primary health-care providers instead of city or county sites.

Paul Kelly, president of San Jose Police Officers’ Association, said in a statement to The Mercury News that he believed officers are being vaccinated “on pace with other first responders and it is our hope that the supply of vaccines will keep pace with those awaiting their shot.” 

As seen in the April 2021 issue of American Police Beat magazine.
Don’t miss out on another issue today! Click below:

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Categories: On the Job

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Police departments look to expand chaplain programs to provide spiritual counseling to traumatized officers
  • Port Authority officers capture missing puppy that journeyed from Brooklyn to New Jersey
  • Nevada woman tries to fool police with fake license plate using Cracker Jack stickers
  • The “great resignation” brings staffing troubles to Missouri law enforcement
  • Pennsylvania police introduce civilian response team to answer nonviolent calls
  • New York court suspends familial DNA searching by law enforcement
  • New Jersey Supreme Court weighs in on police marijuana impairment tests
  • Illinois police unveil new technology, more body cameras to promote accountability and transparency
  • Detroit law enforcement agencies continue fight against freeway shootings
  • Court says man arrested for making fake P.D. Facebook page did not have rights violated

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

The power of teamwork

The power of teamwork

July 23, 2021

Stay awake and alert on the job

Stay awake and alert on the job

July 20, 2021

The worst rank in law enforcement

The worst rank in law enforcement

July 19, 2021

Firearms maintenance

Firearms maintenance

July 04, 2021

Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2022 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close
Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.