At least six Los Angeles police officers have tested positive for the coronavirus, including two of the department’s most senior command staff, as concerns about first responders’ increased risk of getting sick grow nationwide.
The number of LAPD officers testing positive has doubled in the last few days as the department ramped up testing of those exhibiting symptoms, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation but not authorized to discuss it with the media.
The number of infected LAPD officers is expected to increase as the department sends more employees to be tested. Fourteen officers were ordered to be screened late last week. The new batch of infected personnel includes a high-ranking official who has oversight of a large number of patrol operations.
That person is the second in Chief Michel Moore’s immediate orbit to contract the virus. A Pacific Division supervisor was the first to contract the virus in the department and had to be hospitalized.
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More than 160 police officers across the U.S. have become infected by the coronavirus. Nearly 100 of those cases involve the New York City Police Department. Locally, officers with the Los Angeles Airport and San Jose police departments have also fallen ill.
The coronavirus has proved unavoidable for first responders in recent weeks and could change the way law enforcement officials will operate for months. Arrests made by the LAPD and the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department have dropped significantly as the virus has spread, and both departments have ordered officers and deputies to cite and release people whenever possible for low-level offenses.
The county’s courthouses also closed for several days, and jury trials have been suspended for a month in the hopes of limiting the spread of the illness.
An LAPD spokesman said the department will release new information on the number of officers affected late Monday. The department is slated to receive thousands of additional protective N-95 masks for its officers to help them cope with potential contact with infected members of the public.
Some officers have expressed frustration with commanders in the LAPD’s Central Division after sources told The Times that an officer who later tested positive for the virus was exhibiting symptoms at work for two days before being sent home.
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The officer, who had recently returned from a vacation out of the country, was “coughing and sweating” during roll call in Central Division, which patrols areas that include downtown L.A., sources said.
It was not immediately clear if the officer went out on calls or otherwise interacted with the public. In a statement, the LAPD said the officer was sent home once supervisors became aware he was sick.
An officer who worked with the Central Division officer who tested positive is also now being checked to see if he contracted the illness, an official said.
“With our men and women on the front lines of this crisis, providing critical services to our city, we recognize more employees may contract coronavirus,” the department said in a statement Saturday. “We will continue to ensure all facilities are clean and safe while tending to the well-being of our team.”
The department is expected to place its officers on 12-hour shifts in the coming weeks and cancel all vacations as a way to beef up staffing in response to the coronavirus outbreak, a law enforcement source said.
The department is also planning to assign officers to each of the city’s new emergency shelters, which are expected to grow in number, according to the source familiar with the plans who was unable to speak publicly about them.
The plans are still being finalized but are part of a larger effort by the LAPD to mobilize and be of assistance during the public health crisis.
Earlier this month, the LAPD said it would shift half the detectives working in its community stations to daily patrol to ensure public peace.
