Half of LAPD personnel have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said this week that about half the department’s personnel had received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, with thousands now fully vaccinated.
During a meeting of the civilian Police Commission on Tuesday, Moore said 6,264 officers and civilian personnel out of more than 12,600 had received at least one shot. He said others who had not received a vaccination have had COVID-19 and may have some protection against the virus from resulting antibodies that are naturally created to fight infection.
According to recent state data, more than 41% of L.A. County residents 16 and older have received at least one shot, with more than 25% of those residents fully vaccinated. The department’s personnel, many of whom work public-facing jobs, had much earlier access to the shots than most members of the general public because of their public safety role.
Moore said every officer or LAPD civilian employee who wants the vaccine should have had the opportunity to receive both doses by the first week of May.
The fact that half still haven’t been vaccinated suggests a large number of officers have chosen not to receive the shots. An informal survey of department personnel in January found that only 60% of respondents said they would accept the vaccine when offered.
That hesitance comes despite a large number of COVID-19 cases among officers. As of Tuesday, nearly 2,700 LAPD personnel had become infected by the coronavirus. Most of those infected have since returned to work, but nine LAPD personnel have died as a result of COVID-19 — with the most recent, Sgt. Anthony White, a 31-year veteran of the force and a husband and father of two, dying April 15.
The LAPD has been criticized for months for not taking the threat of the virus seriously and for not sufficiently ensuring that its officers wear masks to help stem the spread of the virus. The department has launched investigations into incidents where large numbers of officers were spotted without masks on in public. Police critics routinely put images of cops who aren’t wearing masks on social media to shame them.
On Tuesday, Moore — who has been vaccinated himself — told the Police Commission that the department continues to take the issue seriously, even as more people get vaccinated and the numbers of new infections in the county and within the department come down.
In March, he recorded a video urging officers to get vaccinated.
“It’s important for all of us to lean forward and take that vaccine and protect ourselves and our loved ones, and our partners and the public, from this pandemic that we’re still in the midst of,” Moore said in the video. “The numbers are getting a lot better. Fewer people are dying. Fewer people are in the hospital. But people are still dying, and people are still coming down with this [virus] and are still suffering greatly, and that includes our people.”
Moore warned that officers faced a threat of serious infection “even if you’ve been previously infected.”
The effectiveness of COVID-19 antibodies is not fully understood. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “experts do not yet know how long you are protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19.”
Police union officials who represent rank-and-file officers also have encouraged officers to get vaccinated.
Moore said about 1,000 additional employees would likely be vaccinated were it not for the recent decision to halt the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the CDC identified blood clots arising in a handful of the millions of people who have received the single-shot vaccine.
Moore called that interruption in administering vaccines a “hiccup,” and said the department was looking forward to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine becoming available again soon, as some officers have expressed a preference for the single-shot option over other vaccines that require two shots, like those produced by Pfizer and Moderna.
Health officials have in the past expressed concern about outbreaks of dozens of coronavirus cases at LAPD facilities, according to email records obtained by The Times. However, L.A. County has withheld or redacted the findings from LAPD facility inspection reports that were requested by The Times.
Times staff writer Laura J. Nelson contributed to this report.
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