Written by William Hale
The future of the San Diego Police Department is uncertain, as many police officers are unwilling to comply with the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Unvaccinated city workers are dealing with the upcoming vaccination deadline of December 1st, and for many SDPD officers, this deadline will signify the end of their service in San Diego.
Regardless of Mayor Todd Gloria’s position on the COVID vaccines themselves, it is certain that a significant percentage of San Diego’s police force is not interested in getting vaccinated. Thus, Gloria is left in a precarious situation going forward; either the vaccine mandate not be enforced on officers in the SDPD, or San Diego could lose 300-500 valuable police officers. Considering the recent increase of gang-related shootings, along with the general rise in crime under Gloria, the latter outcome would be catastrophic for San Diego.
To make tensions even more uneasy between our public officials and police force, the San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA) has failed to adequately demonstrate support for the very policemen and women the association represents. According to former marine Giorgio Kirylo, the SDPOA President Jack Schaeffer has refused to advocate on behalf of San Diego’s unvaccinated police officers.
State enforcement of recently developed vaccines would have seemed dystopian just a few years ago, of course, Americans value personal independence and freedom at all costs. Nonetheless, this new mandate is threatening the livelihood of our brave SDPD.
If you want to support the medical freedom of San Diego’s police officers, show up to a rally taking place outside San Diego City Hall on October 22nd at 3:30PM.
Photo Cred: Rich Pedroncelli/AP
