Police in Portland, Oregon, may soon find themselves exempt from a statewide order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for all public health officials thanks in no small part to a threatened mass revolt by the city's police union.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, the statewide rule was initially interpreted as including law enforcement officials, who all receive medical training as part of their job. But the city has now begun exploring an exemption to the rule, which would allow Portland police to forgo the otherwise mandatory vaccinations. The announcement comes just days after the Willamette Week obtained emails from Portland Police Association attorney Anil Karia suggesting that mandatory vaccinations for cops would lead to widespread walkouts across law enforcement agencies in the city.
