March 17, 2021- 2:35 p.m
Running parallel to data revealing a sizable portion of the U.S. population is reluctant to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, roughly 30 percent of the Massachusetts State Police, represented by roughly 850 members, have not been vaccinated, despite being eligible to do so.
Initially reported in The Boston Globe, data from state police sources revealed that as of May 12, more than 2,000 of the total 2,847 eligible police employees, which includes employees who work in a civilian fashion, have received at least one dose of a vaccine.
Some state officials have reportedly said that preexisting medical conditions have prevented some officers and first responders from feeling secure enough to get vaccinated.
However, vaccine hesitancy may also play a role.
“Police officers in general, particularly today with all the scrutiny on them, I think they’re very skeptical of just about everything,” Dennis Galvin, a retired State Police major and president of the Massachusetts Association for Professional Law Enforcement told reporters.
“We don’t know if there is any hesitancy. There certainly could be. It’s not something we’re asking about,” Nancy Sterling, a spokeswoman for the State Police Association of Massachusetts, added. She noted that the police union’s current guidance is to consult with a physician prior to receiving a vaccination.
Another New England first responder force based in Rhode Island is refusing to get vaccinated.
Local outlets report that police officers, firefighters and other front line workers report that “hundreds” of officers statewide have declined to be vaccinated.
Specifically, just 238 of 414 of Providence police officers have been vaccinated at least once, amounting to 56 percent of the force overall.
Interestingly, both Massachusetts and Rhode Island are engaging in a steady vaccine rollout, boasting about 26 percent and 27 percent of their populations being given at least one dose, respectively, per national data.
The root of apparent vaccine hesitancy among police may come down to preferences.
“These are divided times — politically, socially. This is a place to take a measure of how many people have faith and confidence,” Galvin said regarding the vaccine. “I think the State Police are reflecting that. They reflect a general concern and hesitancy about it.”
