Pima Sheriff Nanos Fires 22 Anti-Vaxxer Officers

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos terminated 22 Sheriff’s Officers yesterday, many of whom worked at the jail, because they refused a County requirement to get the Covid vaccine. The Pima County Supervisors passed a vaccine mandate on October 19 for all employees.

At that time, 158 corrections officers — about 40% of the staff — had not been vaccinated and were facing termination. Nanos issued a blistering statement on December 13, imploring his officers to get vaccinated. But by December 30, the 22 holdouts still refused.

“How is it that you’re protecting and serving, and not getting vaccinated?” a frustrated Nanos told a meeting of the Highlands / Dove Mountain Democratic Club Democrats. He said that in the Pima County community the positivity rate for Covid is 7%, but among the Sheriff’s Officers, it is 45%.

Hear and see Sheriff Nanos at the Democrats of Greater Tucson meeting on January 24 at Noon. Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIvf-Gqpj4vH9S6Tvg7rhr4cc4j0SdZYCp0

Across the US, law enforcement officers, police unions, and firefighters are obstinately refusing to get the Covid vaccine, even though COVID has killed about 500 law enforcement officers nationwide since the pandemic began.

“The Number One cop-killer today is Covid,” Nanos said. “Vaccines work. We are following the CD guidelines. Why will they not get vaccinated? I don’t know why my fellow brothers and sisters in law enforcement won’t get the vaccine.”

Nanos was elected in 2020 and heads up a department with a multi-million dollar budget and 1,320 employees, complemented by more than 400 volunteers. It covers more than 9,000 square miles in Pima County and the one million people who live there.

The Sheriff’s Department used to have 1,500 officers but is down by 180 officers. This comes at a time when the Sheriff’s office fields 7,000 calls per year and Tucson’s homicide rate is at an all-time high (81 in 2021).

For example, the Sheriff has one, single DUI officer at a time when drunk driving fatalities are rising. The accident investigation team has 3 people when in the past there were 9. “We had a 100 mph chase on I-19. When the drivers got to Vail they shot each other. These are grown men fighting over a road rage incident,” Nanos said.

Nanos is expected to describe how he will face all these challenges at the January 24 meeting of Democrats of Greater Tucson, including plans to add 167 more officers to the staff and seek a budget increase of at least $17 million.