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New York City Might Lose 30% of It’s Police and Fire Departments over Vaccine Mandates

Ostensibly, New York’s vaccine mandate is meant to protect the city’s citizens. In forcing out police officers and firefighters that refuse to get the vaccine, it might end up doing just the opposite.

According to the Daily Wire, “New York City may lose up to 30% of its police force and fire department after October 29 over a mandate that puts officers and firefighters on unpaid leave if they have not received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

That estimate is based on a report from an article in Quartz, which states that:

New York City municipal employees will be required to be vaccinated against Covid-19 , and those who haven’t received at least one dose by then will be put on unpaid leave.

Among them might be about 16,500 New York Police Department (NYPD) employees—or roughly 30% of the agency’s total workforce of 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilians—who have so far refused to get vaccinated.

…Opponents of the requirement envision a dire scenario: If the mandate and a $500 bonus promised to city employees for getting their first shot aren’t enough to convince hesitant police workers, the NYPD could lose almost a third of its workforce in two months.

New York’s vaccine mandate for teachers and healthcare workers raised a large public outcry, but ultimately led to a surge in vaccinations for groups affected by the mandate. While it is possible the same could happen in this case, it appears that those affected by the new mandate are preparing to fight for the right to remain unvaccinated.

Patrick J. Lynch, president of the Police Benevolent Association, for example, said “Now that the city has moved to unilaterally impose a mandate, we will proceed with legal action to protect our members’ rights” in a recent statement.

That association, CBS reports, filed a lawsuit claiming “that the policy does not make clear potential exceptions for medical or religious reasons, and does not give unvaccinated officers sufficient time to apply for such exemptions, as those appeals must be submitted by Wednesday — one week after the mandate was announced.” The lawsuit also notes that “NYPD police officers are not a major source of transmission of COVID-19. Almost a third of the police force already has immunity due to prior COVID-19 infection.”

 

Similarly, the graphic included in the tweet below shows that NYC firefighters have warned about the potentially dire consequences of the mandate. Having fewer firefighters means fewer men and women available to put out fires, after all.

However, while the potential consequences may be dire, the actual consequences have not been so severe in other cities that adopted such mandates.

For example,  The Associated Press reports that after Chicago instituted a similar mandate over a roar of objections, only 21 officers were placed on “no-pay” status and not allowed to return to work after refusing the vaccine and that staffing of the Chicago PD was not affected. While the officers have only accepted the vaccine grudgingly, with the AP reporting that “the police union’s website again on Tuesday directed members to not comply, but also has offered an option to comply while providing a form to show they are doing so “under complete duress and threats of termination,” few real consequences have come about as a result of the mandate.

So, although there could be major staffing issues for NYC police and fire departments as a result of the vaccine mandate, it remains to be seen just how large those walk-offs are. With the mandate taking effect Friday at 5 pm, the citizens of Gotham won’t have to wait too long to find out.

By: Gen Z Conservative, editor of GenZConservative.com. Follow me on Parler and Gettr.

 

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