Survey: Most Midwestern cops are vaccinated against COVID-19, but oppose mandates

WCBU | By Tim Shelley

Published February 14, 2022 at 6:00 AM CST

FILE - A dose of a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at Lurie Children's hospital, Nov. 5, 2021, in Chicago. On Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming there is a “massive spike” in cancer rates, with certain types of cancers up 20 times the normal rate since the “Operation Warp Speed injections were first introduced.” (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

While many police officers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, they also see vaccine mandates as anathema.

That's according to Western Illinois University law enforcement professor Dr. Niyazi Ekici.

He conducted surveys with officer in 116 departments across Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio to gauge attitudes towards vaccines. He said nearly 80 percent of those surveyed are fully vaccinated, but a similar ratio are against mandatory vaccinations.

"So, the result is that the police is seeing vaccination as a choice of their freedom," said Ekici.

He said just 10 percent of the officers surveyed objected to both mandatory vaccinations and biweekly COVID-19 testing.

"They don't want anything. That's the anti-vax," said Ekici.

But he said the high numbers of officers who are choosing to get vaccinated is a positive sign. Over the past two years, COVID-19 was the leading cause of police officer deaths, accounting for 65% of overall law enforcement fatalities.

Ekici's accounting of law enforcement officer deaths in 2021. He said 65% of all police deaths in the past two years stem from COVID-19.

"The second highest percentage is gunfire, and it is less than 10%, compared to the pandemic ones," he said.

Ekici said most officers dying from COVID-19 are aged 50 or older. He said he hopes officers make the choice to get the shot.

"Ordinary citizens may see this as a choice of freedom. But police can of course see that as a choice of freedom too, but I feel that is a very big responsibility on the shoulders of the police officers being vaccinated," he said.

Ekici says a future survey may also ask officers about their political party affiliation.

He also said another impact of the pandemic is significant reductions of community policing activities.

"That is decreased at least by 50%. So is that having a direct impact on the crime? Maybe not only not on the violent crimes, but eventually, it is something that is missing in our combat with the crime," he said, noting that enforcement actions like traffic stops and in-person police academy training are also down significantly.