Are Kansas City area police officers getting vaccinated? Many departments don’t check
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Kansas City COVID-19 news
As the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus surges across the Kansas City region, officials, hospitals and communities have had to react. Here is our latest coverage.
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As frontline workers in frequent contact with the community, police officers were among the first in the country to get access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The early access was aimed to provide protection for the officers and the public.
But most of the largest police departments across the Kansas City metropolitan area are not requiring vaccinations of their officers. Many do not track their number of vaccinated employees.
The Star this week asked the departments representing the area’s 10 largest cities about their COVID-19 policies and statistics. Of the seven that responded, only the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department has a vaccine requirement. Three of the surveyed departments keep count of vaccinated employees.
Police departments frequently follow policy decisions made by elected city leaders. The Kansas City Police Department is governed by the Board of Police Commissioners, a panel appointed by the governor.
The KCPD, by far the largest department in the area with 1,221 sworn officers, keeps no current data on COVID-19 infection or vaccination rates, Capt. Leslie Foreman, a department spokeswoman, said in an email.
Officers are also not routinely tested for the virus, she said, though police officers are instructed to follow guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for quarantine and isolation.
Under a recent directive from the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, all employees including police officers are required to get the vaccine or get weekly COVID-19 tests. A little more than 50% of the KCKPD’s 321 officers are currently vaccinated, said spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand.
Overland Park police
Overland Park Police Department has the area’s highest reported vaccination rate with 72% of its 254 officers — a number expected to rise soon as more continue to get the shots, said Officer John Lacy, department spokesman. That number far outpaces Johnson County as a whole, where roughly 51% of residents are fully vaccinated, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
No vaccine requirement exists for Overland Park police, though unvaccinated officers are required to follow stricter safety protocols by wearing N-95 masks and safety goggles in work situations. All police officers are required to wear masks when interacting with members of the public while on duty, Lacy said.
Overland Park Police Officer Freddie Castro, 23, died on Tuesday after a five-week stay in North Kansas City Hospital. He was not vaccinated.
On Tuesday, the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit honoring U.S. law enforcement officers who have died in the line of duty, noted that COVID-19 has been the leading killer of police in 2020 and 2021.
Other police departments
Independence Police Department does not track or require vaccines for its 178 officers, said Officer Jack Taylor, spokesman. The department follows the city’s health guidance, he said.
The Lee’s Summit Police Department is not tracking vaccination for its 148 officers, said Sgt. Chris Depue, department spokesman. No routine tests are done but officers can get them if needed or experiencing symptoms under city policy, he said. The department follows Jackson County’s health order for masks and social distancing.
The Blue Springs Police Department, with 101 officers, also does not keep track of police officer vaccinations or require them, though a vaccine vacation incentive is offered and they are strongly encouraged, said public information officer Jennifer Brady.
Shawnee police has 78% of its 119 employees, which includes police officers, vaccinated, said Maj. Jim Baker, support services commander.
The department follows guidelines from the CDC and the Johnson County health department.
“We strongly encourage vaccination; however, it is not mandated,” Baker said. “In addition, we are constantly monitoring changing conditions regarding COVID-19 in case we need to update or modify our approach.”
Masks are required for officers and workers inside city facilities, in public spaces, or anytime social distancing is not possible while on duty, he said.
The Lenexa Police Department currently has 86 officers but does not track its vaccination rates, said Denise Rendina, a Lenexa city spokeswoman.
Vaccines are not required and routine testing is not done. The department has its own mask policy that applies to unvaccinated employees when working in confined spaces indoors, traveling in a car with others or when outdoors and social distancing is not possible.
Star reporters Robert A. Cronkleton and Glenn E. Rice contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 3, 2021 at 9:43 AM.
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