Seattle could lose over 200 cops due to COVID vaccine mandate, report says

According to a report on Monday, over 200 Seattle police officers could lose their jobs because of the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, either because they did not receive the vaccination or refused to reveal their private medical information.

The Jason Rantz Show on the city’s KTTH said the number represents about 20% of the department’s operational staff. Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s department and office did not immediately respond to emails from Fox News outside of business hours.

The Officer Down Memorial Page said 132 law enforcement officers died from COVID-19 this year. Last year the total was 241 – making the virus the leading cause of law enforcement deaths.

No national statistic shows the vaccination rate for America’s entire population of first responders, but individual police and fire departments across the country report that they are well below the national rate of 74% of adults who received at least one dose.

The KTTH report said Durkan’s mandate requires city workers to take the sting by October 18 or expect to be fired. According to the report, the loss of 200 additional officials after last year’s push to defuse could be devastating to the city.

The city negotiated with the Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, the report said. In August, the union’s president Mike Solan said on a podcast that the mandate could lead to layoffs.

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“If you stand up for more police officers because you know crime is increasing, you will need more police officers because of the actions of the city council,” he said, according to KOMO News. “Why are you threatening us with our jobs (when) you don’t get this vaccination. It’s unbelievable to me, it doesn’t make sense.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report