LA police union chief does not believe there was an organized 'blue flu' by officers calling out sick
300 LAPD officers were out sick over the Fourth of July weekend
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Veteran police officer Rob Harris said on Friday that he understands the LAPD officers' frustration as speculation persists that most of them called in sick over the violent holiday weekend.
“I don’t know that I would classify it as blue flu. I think our officers are frustrated, I think they’re tired, I think many of them are suffering from some fatigue given all that is expected of them, but I think they have demonstrated time and time again why they are the most professional police organization in the country,” Harris told “America’s Newsroom.”
Harris, the director of the union Los Angeles Police Protective League, said that even though there were officers who called in sick over the weekend, there has not been any disruption of service.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“I think they heeded our calls not to participate in an organized sick callout,” Harris said.
As many as 300 officers from the Los Angeles Police Department were out sick over the violent holiday weekend, days after city leaders voted to slash the police budget by $150 million, according to a report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}LAPD brass is probing whether the high number of members out sick over the Fourth of July weekend was actually a case of the "blue flu" connected to a memo sent around last week that encouraged a sick-out among officers, the Los Angeles Times reported. According to the outlet, an organized labor protest of this nature is illegal.
“Rather than jumping to conclusions and indicting and impugning the integrity of our rank and file, I’m asking that we explore this,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore told the LA Times, stressing that the department was working to learn the facts before "making sweeping judgments."
The novel coronavirus could have also played a role in the decreased staffing numbers.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}As of Wednesday morning, at least 120,764 COVID-19 cases were reported in Los Angeles County, while the state total reached more than 284,000, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University and Medicine.
A spokesperson for the LAPD confirmed that the department "experienced a higher than normal absentee rate" over the Fourth of July weekend, but said it was still able to maintain its patrol staffing minimum.
"Public safety is our priority, and the men and women of this Department are dedicated to that mission, as the vast majority of police officers reported to work as scheduled over the holiday," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.
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Harris said that the Los Angeles Police Protective League laid out a national police reform plan that would be a “great start.” Harris said that he understands the frustration that many officers are feeling.
“I think it’s time to start a discussion about what we can do to improve policing beyond just symbolic gestures,” Harris said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“An organized sick-out actually undermines our ability to have credibility and to build trust with stakeholders and with our communities. All it does is endanger our brother and sister officers who show up to work. It undermines public safety and community trust. It undermines public safety and community and it is why we’re crystal clear to our officers that they should not participate in an organized sick-out.”