Vaccine Mandates for New York City Fire, Police Departments Under Analysis

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday that COVID-19 vaccine mandates were under consideration for the city's police force and he's looking into "all options" for the potential requirement, the Associated Press reported. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro has also indicated in recent days that he would support a shot requirement for NYC fire crews, citing the loss of 16 firefighters at one department where he attended a memorial event.

The New York Police Department is the largest force in the U.S., but vaccination rates within its ranks are low compared with the city overall as some officers fully refuse to get the shot, the AP reported. By Wednesday, 68 percent of the NYPD's workforce was vaccinated, according to Commissioner Dermot Shea, in contrast to the 76 percent of adult residents of the city.

After speaking about a potential police vaccine requirement for weeks, de Blasio said in a Friday appearance on Brian Lehrer's WNYC radio show that he would start looking into "additional steps" for the city's workforce and carry out a "meticulous analysis of what is the next step that makes sense."

For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.

The discussion about a vaccine mandate heated up in recent days after Shea again said he'd support the move and Nigro told reporters he'd favor the same for firefighters. At the same time, the Supreme Court denied a challenge to a city vaccine mandate for public school teachers, showing a potential legal pathway for expanding the requirement to other city agencies.

The state has mandated vaccines for health care workers and people in New York City must show proof of vaccination to eat indoors at restaurants or attend sporting events. De Blasio initially allowed public school teachers to get the vaccine or submit regular negative COVID-19 tests, but toughened the rule this summer by requiring all teachers to get a vaccine with no test-out option.

Thousands of teachers and other school employees got the vaccine in the days before the deadline, city officials said.

"We're looking at a variety of tools," de Blasio said Friday. "So far, I like a lot how the mandates are going. They're driving up vaccinations, they're driving down COVID. There's a lot of other tools we have and we'll be talking about them in the next few days."

Currently, under an executive order signed by the mayor last month, NYPD officers must either be vaccinated or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test each week. The police department said Friday there were no pending changes to its vaccine policy.

Officers in other cities, including Los Angeles and Seattle, face deadlines this month to get vaccinated or risk losing their jobs. In Los Angeles, officials said more than 30 percent of officers remain unvaccinated despite an October 20 deadline. In Seattle, several hundred officers haven't shown proof of vaccination ahead of an October 18 deadline. In Massachusetts and Oregon, state troopers face firing for failing to meet vaccine requirements.

Shea, who's had COVID-19, said at de Blasio's city hall news briefing on Wednesday: "I would be supportive of a vaccine mandate. I've said that from day one. I think that the science, to health, the emergency situation that we're in, it makes sense."

The city's largest police union, the Police Benevolent Association, said it has not been advised by the city or police department of any changes to the current vaccine or test policy. The union represents police personnel with the rank of officer—23,000 people on active duty with the department.

"In the PBA's view, the COVID-19 vaccine is a medical decision that members must make in consultation with their own health care providers," the union's president, Pat Lynch, said. "We have pushed to make the vaccine available to all members who seek it, and we will continue to protect the rights of members who are not vaccinated."