LAPD Employees File Federal Lawsuit, Challenging City's COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A group of LAPD employees have filed a federal lawsuit, challenging the city's COVID vaccine mandate.
The lawsuit was filed over the weekend in federal court by six Los Angeles Police Department workers, according to the Los Angeles Times. It claims that the mandate violates their constitutional rights to privacy and due process.
"The city does not and cannot point to any evidence that vaccinated individuals have longer lasting or more complete immunity than those who have recovered from COVID," according to the complaint, which names the city of Los Angeles, the police chief, mayor, and administrative officer.
Recent data shows just about half of the department's employees have not been vaccinated, which lags behind the general population. Several sworn LAPD employees and at least two civilians have died from complications of COVID since the pandemic began.
The city of Los Angeles approved an ordinance last month requiring city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID by early October, unless they are granted an exemption for medical or religious reasons, or face weekly testing.
After the ordinance's approval, a Los Angeles Fire captain's tirade calling the vaccination requirement "tyranny" was posted on the Telegram app and shared on Twitter. The captain claimed that there were hundreds of firefighters who want to fight the requirement.
CBSLA reached out to LAPD but they declined to comment. The LA City Attorney said the office is working on a statement about the lawsuit.
