Hundreds Of Seattle Police Officers Have Yet To Submit Vax Proof

SEATTLE — Interim Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz urged officers Friday to submit proof of COVID-19 vaccination by Tuesday, in order to meet the deadlines for the city's employee mandate. In a letter sent to staffers and published online, Diaz said hundreds of officers had yet to disclose their immunization status and warned that there could be significant staffing disruptions in the near future.

The letter reads in part:

"I am asking anyone who has not submitted this information to please get it done. In preparation for the City Vaccination mandate, SPD has constructed various staffing plans for how we continue to ensure continuity of emergency and legally-mandated services. In order to have the least amount of disruptions to our personnel we need to know how many individuals are cleared, under city vaccination rules. At the moment – we have to assume we have hundreds of unvaccinated individuals based on the information submitted. This could create a disruption to unit of assignments. Please submit your proof of vaccination – or please go get the vaccine and then submit the proof of vaccination."

Diaz noted that Monday is the last day to receive a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or single dose of Johnson & Johnson to reach full immunization status by the Oct. 18 deadline.

Most of the city's other employee unions reached labor agreements last month, securing extra paid leave and allowing for those who miss the final deadline to take leave to get immunized in lieu of termination. While the Seattle Police Management Association was among that group, bargaining is ongoing with the Seattle Police Officers' Guild, which represents roughly 1,300 officers and sergeants.