Across the nation, cops are falling ill and calling out sick, as major U.S. police departments confirmed 1,012 cases of COVID-19 among officers or civilian staff amid severe protective-gear shortages
Similar scenes play out all over the city daily: officers making arrests, walking their beats and responding to 911 calls without protective gear, according to interviews with nearly two dozen New York City officers and scenes witnessed by Reuters.
“There’s a lot of triaging going on,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank that advises police on policy issues. “Many departments are having to re-order priorities and the calls they respond to. Police are having to reshuffle how they use their resources.”
All of the New York officers interviewed by Reuters spoke on condition of anonymity. They say the department forbids them from speaking to reporters. One uniformed NYPD officer and two civilian employees have died after contracting COVID-19. The officer - 23-year veteran detective Cedric Dixon from the 32nd precinct in Harlem - died on Saturday.
The departments in San Antonio and Honolulu were the only ones that reported no confirmed infections on their forces. The 2,440-officer Nassau County department had quarantined 163 officers as of Saturday. Its dispatchers are screening all 911 calls to check if anyone needing help is exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. Responding officers and medics are ordered to wear an N95 mask, gloves, eye protection and gowns, the department said.
“Those masks are in such dire need,” said Michael Mata, president of the Dallas Police Association. “We’re in a very bad spot.”
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