Police leaders want the COVID-19 vaccine now, but county points to low supply

Law enforcement leaders in San Diego County are calling for the COVID-19 vaccine to be made available within their ranks now, but county officials say officers will have to wait.

Police and Sheriff’s Department authorities say officers and deputies are on the front lines of the pandemic, at times responding to medical calls alongside paramedics and emergency medical technicians who have been offered the vaccine.

County spokesman Mike Workman said the county is dealing with a limited supply. The vaccines at first were reserved for health care workers and residents and employees of nursing homes. Now the group includes people age 65 and older.

“For seniors, COVID-19 can be a death sentence and it would irresponsible to make them wait in order to vaccinate a younger and healthier workforce,” county Board of Supervisors Chairman Nathan Fletcher said in a statement. “I understand law enforcement and others’ desires to get vaccinated today, but the only way that would be possible is to take the limited vaccines away from vulnerable seniors.”

In line with state guidelines, the county placed officers in a tier alongside workers in the emergency services, education, childcare and food and agriculture sectors. Workers in that phase are next in line to receive the vaccine, though it is unknown when their turn will come.

Fletcher said it will happen when the county sees a “slack” in reservations at county sites serving seniors.

“We don’t know when that will be as the supply of vaccines and pace at which seniors fill appointments is out of our control, but hopefully soon,” Fletcher said.

In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors on Thursday, the San Diego County Police Chiefs’ and Sheriff’s Association asked the elected leaders “to prioritize the vaccination of all first responders, including law enforcement (officers)” and suggested that officers be included in the same tier as medics and firefighters, who are cross-trained as emergency medical technicians and have been offered the vaccine.

The letter, signed by Chula Vista police Chief Roxana Kennedy, who is also president of the association, said other counties in the state, including Orange and Riverside, have made the vaccine available to law enforcement officers.

According to the letter, there are about 4,300 law enforcement officers on the front lines in San Diego County, responding to emergencies, including medical calls, each day. Some law enforcement agencies have faced coronavirus outbreaks within their ranks, which caused staffing shortages, according to the letter.

In an email, Kennedy said some officers have been able to get vaccinated. About 3,600 officers need the vaccine, she said.

Some police chiefs independently sent emails to county officials. El Cajon police Chief Mike Moulton said he emailed Fletcher “urging the county to reconsider its position on not prioritizing front-line law enforcement personnel for COVID-19 vaccination.”

Harbor police Chief Mark Stainbrook said he emailed Fletcher and Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer. He said the Port of San Diego, which includes the Harbor Police Department, planned to send a letter to the county in support of vaccinating officers.

In response to questions about the calls for law enforcement officers to be prioritized for the vaccine, Wooten said Thursday that the first phase of vaccinations includes paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other individuals who administer CPR. Her comments did little to appease some in law enforcement.

“I think we are all a bit frustrated that somehow law enforcement officers are not perceived by county leadership as first responders who provide first aid and CPR,” Stainbrook said in an email.

He and Kennedy said officers perform CPR on a regular basis. In some cases, Kennedy said, officers start CPR because medics have to stand back until officers secure a scene, other times because officers arrive at a scene before medics.

Stainbrook and others also said officers encounter individuals who are or may be positive for COVID-19.

David Martinez, president of the Chula Vista police union, said officers last week went to a home where a person had died. It turned out the person and four other members of the household had tested positive for COVID-19. Although officers wear masks and take other precautions to safeguard against the virus, Martinez said the vaccine would give officers peace of mind.

Chula Vista police Capt. Phil Collum said 200 employees within that department have been isolated or quarantined, including 73 who tested positive for COVID-19 or showed symptoms and 127 who were exposed.