Nearly 300 uniformed police officers in Long Beach, California, gathered for an event to commemorate a weeks-long tactical training. The event was deemed a “superspreader” in complaints filed to the city’s Citizen Police Complaint Commission.
“Not only was the assembly a violation of Health Department mandates but also a direct contradiction and demonstration of impunity that countered Mayor Robert Garcia’s pleas… for all persons, including city employees to practice social distancing and wear masks,” a complaint filed by the People of Long Beach and Long Beach Reform Coalition said.
“As of today, our contact tracing investigations have not linked any positive covid-19 cases to this gathering that occurred during the post-election public safety operation,” the Long Beach Police Department said.
California is a hotspot. There are more than 1.67 million cases in California, and the state has seen more than 21,400 deaths, according to the Post’s COVID-19 tracker. In Long Beach, more than 23,000 people have contracted the virus. Since the event, the police department has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases. According to KNBC, the department reported 49 positive COVID cases among uniformed officers. Officers were not permitted to wear masks until November 19. Long Beach Police Chief, Robert Luna, acknowledged the reported cases and wishes he would have enforced the CDC guidelines.
“I’m very uncomfortable with where they’re at,” Luna said. “When I reflect back on that day, I recognize the potential health and safety concerns and should have been more diligent in ensuring that our employees were wearing face coverings at all times and physically distanced,” Luna said to the Post.
“I regret the way that we handled this, and if I had it to do over again, I would do it differently.”
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