Dear Mr. President,
I am writing on behalf of the membership of the Fraternal Order of Police to thank you for your leadership on Operation Warp Speed which has resulted in a vaccine that will hopefully bring an end to this crisis. As this vaccine becomes available, it is of critical importance that law enforcement personnel have expedited access to it.
While COVID-19 is a public health crisis, it is also a public safety concern, as the pandemic continues to impact public safety operations from simple things like answering emergency calls to infected or potentially infected persons, to enforcing quarantines and restrictions on travel as well as protecting vital supplies and facilities. More than 90% of the law enforcement officers responding to these situations are from local and State agencies and they will require expedited access to the vaccine to keep them, and the public with whom they interact, safe from infection, particularly now as much of the nation is seeing infection rates rise. The public needs to have confidence that their local law enforcement agency will be able to respond regardless of the public health circumstances of the community.
With swift access to the vaccine, we are confident that the men and women in law enforcement can keep the peace while still playing a critical role in supporting our communities that are struggling with the latest outbreaks of the disease. We also have confidence that you and your Administration will ensure that the law enforcement community is protected so that we can continue to protect the country.
On behalf of the more than 356,000 members of the Fraternal Order of Police, thank you for your leadership and please do not hesitate to contact me or Executive Director Jim Pasco if you should need our help or support in your efforts.
Sincerely,
Patrick Yoes
National President