Five employees of the Broward Sheriff’s Office have died from Covid-19. {courtesy BSO}
By Sharon Aron Baron
While COVID-19 is without a doubt a public health crisis, it is also a public safety crisis.
According to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), they knew at the beginning of the pandemic that law enforcement officers on the front lines combating this pandemic — more than 90 percent of whom would be responding from local and State agencies — would be increasingly vulnerable to contracting the virus.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office employees are practicing enhanced hygiene practices, and are provided PPE, limiting face to face interaction to only when operationally necessary.
BSO is also employing alternatives to arrest, including notices to appear, and civil citations. Taking reports over the phone as opposed to in-person, and screening public access to BSO facilities.
COVID-19 makes no distinction between age, race, or gender. As the FOP feared, the virus has claimed the lives of many, and now includes 319 law enforcement officers from around the country.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office has already lost five, including Deputy Shannon Bennett on April 3, 2020; Communications Operator III Nikima Thompson on May 4, 2020; EEO Manager Wiley Huff on August 3, 2020; Lieutenant Aldemar “Al” Rengifo on August 16, 2020; and Community Programs Supervision Specialist Pamela Ford, on September 4, 2020.
A look at states and territories in order of Covid-19 deaths of law enforcement officers.
Texas 78
New York 35
Louisiana 23
Florida 21
California 20
New Jersey 14
Illinois 12
Georgia 10
North Carolina 10
Arizona 9
Michigan 9
Pennsylvania 9
Ohio 8
Alabama 5
Puerto Rico 5
South Carolina 5
Mississippi 4
Washington 4
Washington DC 4
Indiana 3
Kansas 3
Maryland 3
Missouri 3
Oklahoma 3
Virginia 3
Guam 2
Massachusetts 2
Tennessee 2
Arkansas 1
Colorado 1
Connecticut 1
Iowa 1
Kentucky 1
Minnesota 1
Montana 1
Nevada 1
Rhode Island 1
Wisconsin 1
Alaska 0
American Samoa 0
Delaware 0
Hawaii 0
Idaho 0
Maine 0
Nebraska 0
New Hampshire 0
New Mexico 0
North Dakota 0
Oregon 0
South Dakota 0
Utah 0
Vermont 0
West Virginia 0
Wyoming 0
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