Kansas City residents are already required to wear masks. Why aren’t police officers?

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas is expected to announce more restrictions on Monday to combat the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19. Positive cases and hospitalizations continue to spike in the metro area.

Under the city’s current mask mandate, police officers and other first responders are exempt. But should they be?

More than 130 officers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since March, Police Chief Rick Smith reported during last week’s Board of Police Commissioners meeting.

Of the 131 officers affected, 18 were in various stages of recovery, and 113 have returned to work, Smith said. As of last week, 54 officers were in quarantine.

Despite a rapid rise in the number of COVID-19 cases, the Kansas City Police Department hasn’t seen fit to mandate masks. And the fact that Smith didn’t bother to wear a mask during most of the meeting when he delivered an update on the outbreak in his department didn’t exactly inspire confidence that necessary precautions are being taken.

So, will the mayor, who is a member of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners, take action?

“Given the rise in infections both at the police department and throughout the community, the city will reevaluate the exemptions to its current order,” Lucas told The Star Editorial Board. “Still, even for those not covered by the mask mandate, I would hope that all wear masks where possible when near others.”

Police work is inherently dangerous, and because officers are in close contact with the public, some COVID-19 cases on the force were to be expected. But the department’s laissez-faire approach to masks is dangerous for both the officers and the people they interact with on a daily basis.

The Kansas City metro area exceeded 1,300 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, the largest single-day increase in cases.

A total of 65,611 Kansas City-area residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data maintained by The Star. The area also continues to break records for the seven-day average of new cases — an alarming spike that should spur additional restrictions and precautions.

Officers and other police personnel are encouraged to wear masks when working in enclosed spaces and office environments when they’re unable to social distance, a police spokesperson told The Star Editorial Board.

They are also advised not to come to work if they are sick. And when entering businesses on non-call related business, officers must wear a mask.

But are such suggestions enough to keep officers and the public safe? Without a mandate, the use of face coverings has been inconsistent within the Kansas City Police Department.

Officers at greater risk for COVID-19 than most

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the community, Kansas City police and private citizens must remain vigilant about wearing face coverings, Lucas said. The city will continue to evaluate its mask mandate and consider how to strengthen it, he said.

The Kansas City Police Department needs a mandatory mask requirement. If residents are required to wear masks in public, why aren’t officers? Police interact with the public every day and likely are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 than most people.

Kansas City is facing a public health crisis, and it is essential that public officials and public agencies adhere to medical experts’ recommendations — to protect themselves and also to serve as role models for the community. If officers don’t bother to wear a mask, will other Kansas City residents see the need to cover their faces?

In New York City, the police department requires all officers to wear masks in public areas, department facilities and anywhere they cannot socially distance. Masks are also required in shared offices, elevators, halls and bathrooms.

Officers are subjected to discipline if they do not abide by the policy. Exceptions include when officers are eating or drinking or having difficulty breathing.

Kansas City Police Department officials said officers are accustomed to operating in a contagious disease environment and know to take the proper protocols to keep themselves and the public safe. Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for distancing are closely followed, and officers only enter into close contact when absolutely necessary for handling a service call, a spokesperson said.

But the current “large outbreak” in the Kansas City Police Department suggests that existing guidelines have not been sufficient. Smith said last week that COVID-19 cases in the department have been drastically increasing.

For the health and safety of officers — and the public — the Kansas City Police Department should be required to comply with the same mask mandate that is already in effect for the rest of us.

This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.