Unqualified Immunity
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Many PPD Officers under Commissioner Daniel Outlaw have refused to follow CDC guidelines related to COVID-19 and continue to be seen ignoring social distancing protocols without masks or protective equipment.
While the rest of the city has come together and finally accepted the changes made to fight this virus, the Philadelphia Police Department has largely refused to do their part. The same issue has been reported in other large cities such as Chicago and New York City where photos of unmasked officers are published daily. Anyone living in Philadelphia since the beginning of the pandemic has seen these negligent officers around town, especially at larger demonstrations and protests held over the summer with massive crowds.
According to the CDC in Atlanta, “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.” Unfortunately, our boys in blue have been unable to meet this responsibility. As for their superiors, Mayor Kenney and Governor Wolf have both clearly stated the importance of masks by issuing local and state mandates and encouraging their use every day, but despite this, no disciplinary or investigative action into the PPD or state police that violate these mandates has been made by them, Commissioner Outlaw or other police supervisors.
In a recent interview with Billy Penn reporter Michaela Winberg, city managing director Brian Abernathy said that PPD officers “have been reminded on a number of occasions” to wear masks and that he “admitted the refusal to wear masks among officers is a concern” for city officials. Like most police misconduct, Abernathy also makes it clear that punishment or reprimand for said officers is not going to happen. “I think we don’t want to get to that point,” says Abernathy. “We’ll continue to work with our officers to make sure they’re protecting themselves, their colleagues and the public.” Throughout this pandemic, no PPD officer has seen any disciplinary action over mask wearing and Abernathy’s comments make it apparent that the supervisors within the department will not seek any. Police in departments like the PPD will most likely continue to eschew the guidelines and mandates put forward because there is no serious effort to stop them or make any change.
Even if local leadership did want to act against these officers, there is little structure to do so. Recent reporting from Huff Post’s Alexander Kaufman showed that “a survey of police departments in the country’s 20 most-populous cities found loose guidelines and zero measures to penalize officers who fail to cover their mouth and nose ― a basic step that the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have recommended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.” With no structures in place to prevent mask-misconduct in these larger cities like Philadelphia, what change is there to expect from commissioners and leaders?
October 8, 2020
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