SPD reports a third of all officers haven’t provided proof of vaccination ahead of deadline

The Seattle Police Department has released data on officers who have and haven’t submitted proof of vaccination ahead of an Oct. 18 deadline.

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According to SPD, 354 sworn officers — comprising a third of the department’s total — have not submitted proof of vaccination. Seven-hundred and twenty officers that make up the other two-thirds are now in compliance with the city’s upcoming COVID-19 vaccine mandate. SPD’s civilian staff is 94% vaccinated.

Of those 354 officers who have yet to provide proof of vaccination, nearly 67% work within SPD’s Operation Bureau, which includes patrol officers, patrol sergeants, and duty officers. Another 15% are from the Investigations Bureau, while just over 9% work in Special Operations.

The Seattle Police Officers Guild remains one of the few city unions that has yet to reach an agreement with Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office over the vaccine mandate.

The mayor’s office reached a deal with the Coalition of City Unions, Seattle Fire Fighters Union Local 27, and IBEW Local 77 in late September. That agreement grants members of those unions several incentives for getting fully vaccinated, including eight extra hours of paid time off, and up to 80 hours of paid leave for COVID-related reasons.

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Last week, interim SPD Chief Adrian Diaz issued a letter to his department “asking anyone who has not yet submitted (proof of vaccination) to please get it done,” citing the risk of “a disruption to unit of assignments.”

Officers who remain unvaccinated through Oct. 18 could risk termination. This comes in the wake of nearly 130 officers leaving the department so far in 2021, with 20 more separations expected to be processed in the coming weeks, according to KTTH’s Jason Rantz Show.

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