Police should be vaccinated. They are supposed to protect and serve, not protect and infect - or be infected | Editorial

Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo has minced neither words nor tweets about how he feels about police officers losing their lives to COVID. Unfortunately, there is little Acevedo can do to require more of his 1,400 officers to get vaccinated.

Still, Acevedo made a powerful statement on social media this week, tweeting to his 96,400 followers a photograph of condolence letters on his desk. He says he’s mailing them to families of officers locally and across the country who have died in the past few weeks.

“Just signed 10 more condolence letters for active-duty officers who have been taken from their families, friends and colleagues by #COVID19. We are lifting them in prayer,” the chief tweeted.

Acevedo added, “Please let’s all get vaccinated.”

He has also hinted that a vaccine mandate might be coming soon to the department. But here’s the catch: Acevedo is the chief, but any order requiring vaccinations for Miami police officers or other city employees must come from City Hall. Ditto for Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, who would likely need the blessing of the county’s top administrator — Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. “The mayor would confer with the director if he saw the need for such a vaccination policy for his department,” Rachel Johnson, the mayor’s spokeswoman, told the Editorial Board.

Currently, the mayor is focused on implementing the county’s new weekly COVID testing requirements. “We continue to explore all options for policies that can best protect the well-being of our workforce,” Johnson added.

The question remains, should police officers be required to be vaccinated? They have sworn to protect and serve, not to protect and infect that public they serve. Or to be infected themselves by that same public.

Acevedo’s tweet comes at a time when the law-enforcement community in South Florida, from corrections officers to court clerks, is seeing an alarming number of its members dying from COVID-related issues or, at least, being sidelined for weeks.

According to a Miami Herald article, at least five law-enforcement officers in South Florida have died recently, a gripping testament to the delta-variant crisis.

For the safety of law-enforcement officers and the public they are sworn to protect, police officers should be vaccinated.

Miami-Dade’s Ramirez appears to be on board, too. He recently told the Miami Herald he supports protecting his officers via vaccines.

Politicized debate

However, all across the country, federal, state and local government agencies have refrained from imposing blanket vaccination requirements on workers. To say it’s a red-hot political issue would be a understatement. Witness the outrage over simple mask requirements.

Some local police unions have indicated they will fight such an edict.

Government entities are also well aware they are in the state of Florida, where Gov. DeSantis has threatened to cut school leaders’ salaries in Broward and other counties for mandating masks.

But Acevedo and Ramirez do have the power to influence those above them — mayors, city managers, commissioners. In fact, the latest uptick of COVID infections — and deaths — among the ranks should be the most persuasive argument of all.

California and the city of New York gave their workers a choice: Get vaccinated or face weekly testing. And an array of hospitals from coast to coast are declaring they will require staff to get vaccinated. So it can be done.

Acevedo and Ramirez know the dangers that criminals pose to their officers and the public.

COVID poses a different kind of danger to them both, but is just as deadly.

This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 9:49 AM.