Indiana recruits Chicago cops upset by COVID mandates

[Mike Mercury]

“Hey Chicago police officers, we’re hiring!” an Indiana State Police spokesman said in a tweet on Thursday. “No vaccine mandate … lower taxes, great schools, welcoming communities.”

With thousands of Chicago police officers at odds with the city’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandates, officials in the neighboring state of Indiana are trying to recruit disgruntled cops, some of whom are being punished for not complying. As of Oct. 15, all of Chicago Police Department’s roughly 12,000 officers are required to share their vaccination status, outlets report, and those who aren’t vaccinated must get tested for COVID-19 twice weekly.

Chicago police officers who don’t follow the new rules can have their pay and their powers suspended, WFLD reported. As of Tuesday, at least 21 officers have faced those consequences, police Superintendent David Brown told the outlet. Roughly two-thirds of Chicago’s officers have submitted their vaccine status into Chicago’s database, Brown told the station, and 82% of those are vaccinated.

That means around 4,000 officers have not shared their vaccine status — at least not yet. Chicago’s Fraternal Order of Police has spoken out strongly against the COVID-19 mandates, clashing with city officials on the issue in a very public way, and encouraging officers not to comply, outlets report. According to NPR, a judge has ordered the local union president — John Catanzara — to stop making statements. The city’s attorney also accused Catanzara of “municipal sedition and treason.” Earlier this week, Catanzara said Chicagoans should expect “a lot less officers on the street” due to the COVID mandates, WFLD reported.

Some Indiana officials see opportunity in Chicago’s contention, and they offer this promise: no vaccine, no problem. “Welcome to Indiana,” U.S. Sen. Mike Braun said in a tweet. “My office stands ready to help connect Chicago police officers to an Indiana police department that is hiring now and doesn’t have a vaccine mandate.” In a statement to Fox News, Braun said Chicago’s police “deserve respect” that they aren’t being shown, and they won’t suffer the same “government overreach” in Indiana. “Our police do the hardest job in the world, and they deserve respect — not losing their pay or being fired for refusing to comply with a ridiculous vaccine mandate,” he said.

According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, the number of officers killed by gunfire in 2020 and 2021 is 95, the website says. The fight over COVID-19 mandates comes as Chicago endures a particularly violent year in crime. As of late September, there had been 602 murders and 2,688 shootings.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/nati...255152457.html

[Ol Timer]

It’s a good thing Chicagoland doesn’t need a strong LE presence.

[VITE1]

So is Florida.

[IB4TL]

Chicago is a shit hole, glad I'm moving back to Florida next month 🏝

[VITE1]

https://www.foxnews.com/media/florid...on-the-economy

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by IB4TL

Chicago is a shit hole, glad I'm moving back to Florida next month 🏝

FL is full. Trust me. When we can displace a shit ton of snow birds and illegals then we might open up again.

[dvarapala]

Originally Posted by IB4TL

Chicago is a shit hole, glad I'm moving back to Florida next month 🏝

* IL

[99 pewtercoupe]

Originally Posted by dvarapala

* IL

The entire state is ****ed. We lived in southern Illinois for 15 years in a solid red county but it was like pissing into the wind. Escaped in 2017 and moved to Florida.

[Datawiz]

Florida is now doing the same. In fact, DeSantis is pushing for $5,000 signing bonuses for the out of state cops that want to come to a normal state.