Police ‘Blue Flu’ Extends to 2nd Day
Top South Gate police officials patrolled city streets in 12-hour shifts Tuesday, the second day of a widespread case of “blue flu” that has kept officers and sergeants home, authorities said.
City Atty. Bruce Boogaard said the blue flu, involving 80 members of the 92-officer force, is an “illegal job action” and said all officers calling in sick Tuesday had been ordered to report to the city’s medical officer.
The blue flu struck after the South Gate Police Officers Assn. on Friday rejected what Boogaard called a compromise offer made two days earlier to settle a contract dispute. The previous two-year contract expired July 1.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
