Thursday, December 16, 2021
An 'invisible enemy': Stateline Area law enforcement grapple with COVID-19 deaths
- By AUSTIN MONTGOMERY Staff Writer
- Dec 13, 2021 Updated Dec 14, 2021
Beloit Police Officer Daniel Daly, 48, died on Nov. 15 due to complications from COVID-19. On the same day, 20-year veteran Wisconsin State Patrol Master Trooper Dan Stainbrook, 42, died from complications due to COVID-19.
COVID-19 was the leading cause of death to law enforcement officers in 2020 and 2021, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, an organization that tracks officer deaths nationwide. Over the last two years, nearly two-thirds of all law enforcement deaths in the United States have been due to COVID-19. (SEE 2021 numbers below)
In 2020, a total of 384 law enforcement deaths were reported to the organization. Of those deaths, 253 (65.8%) were due to COVID-19. As of Dec. 9, 447 total law enforcement deaths have been reported nationwide in 2021, Officer Down Memorial data shows—295 of the 477 total law enforcement deaths (65.9%) were due to the virus.
Another organization tracking COVID-19 deaths nationwide, the Fraternal Order of Police, reports an even higher number of virus-related deaths among law enforcement since the pandemic began in March of 2020. The organization reports that as of Dec. 12, 816 officers have died due to COVID-19 (See state numbers below)
Virus-related officer deaths are tracked using media reports and submissions from police departments nationwide as no data is tracked centrally by one organization, resulting in differing figures.
“This is the best data we have,” said Ryan Windorff, president of the Wisconsin State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. “We knew from the beginning that law enforcement would be heavily impacted by this where other industries have adapted to remote work. It’s not an option for public safety officers. I think the trends show it’s a threat we take seriously and has an impact on how we do our job.”
Rock County, Wisconsin and Winnebago County, Illinois law enforcement officials who spoke to the Beloit Daily News all said COVID-19 changed the way officers went about their daily routines, and proved to be an invisible threat while on the job.
“It goes without saying that the world is facing the toughest battle many of us have witnessed in our lifetimes,” said Beloit Police Chief Andre Sayles.
Janesville Police Chief David Moore said the hundreds of law enforcement deaths were “clearly a tragic matter that will continue to grow.”
“Behind the numbers are families and children that lose their loved ones while police departments and communities struggle with the deaths,” Moore said. “Officers have been trained for years to handle a variety of threats that can result in death or great bodily harm from armed encounters to high speed pursuits or assaults. COVID-19 offers a new and different threat to our officers’ lives.”
Rock County Sheriff Troy Knudson added, “We don’t always have the luxury of not going to an important call based on the health status of the reporting person or suspect. The virus just became one more threat to the officers who were out in the community doing their jobs.”
South Beloit Police Chief Adam Truman said the high number of officer virus-related deaths showed COVID-19 can continue “to strike anyone, at any age, in any profession.”
There is also little data regarding law enforcement COVID-19 vaccination rates nationwide, as police unions across the country fight vaccination mandates.
Windorff said the Fraternal Order of Police opposed a vaccine mandate while advocating for personal freedom of law enforcement personnel in Wisconsin.
“Our position is that any individual who is healthy and doesn’t have an exemption from vaccination should seriously consider receiving it and we encourage that,” Windorff said. “It’s not unique to law enforcement. There’s a divide among vaccine acceptance nationwide.”
Local COVID-19 vaccine data is also scarce. Jessica Turner, a spokesperson for the Rock County Public Health Department, said the public health agency did not have public safety vaccination rates among Rock County agencies “at that level” when asked by the Beloit Daily News for individual department figures.
The only local glimpse into public safety COVID-19 vaccination rates came early on in the pandemic when the vaccination was first offered to frontline workers.
In January of 2021, the Beloit Police Department reported 53% of department employees were vaccinated while 42.1% of Beloit Fire Department employees were vaccinated as of Jan. 26. Since initial reporting by the Beloit Daily News the City of Beloit has stopped tracking vaccination data of employees in city departments including police and fire.
Sayles said getting vaccinated was “an individual right.”
“I firmly still believe in that, but I would certainly encourage people to do that,” Sayles said regarding vaccinations among Beloit officers.
Truman emphasized personal freedom when discussing vaccinations.
“I respect those that do and those that don’t get vaccinated,” Truman said.
Knudson said the sheriff’s office recommended deputies and jail staff get vaccinated “for their own protection and to ensure that they don’t unknowingly carry the virus and expose others.”
Moore said the science behind vaccinations and the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines was “clear.”
“With millions of Americans that are vaccinated, the science continues to support the vaccine from both a safety perspective and effectiveness standpoint,” Moore said. “Officers are placed in a difficult position as they are often in a dynamic fight or struggle and continuous wearing of the mask is difficult if not impossible. COVID-19 exposures are inevitable which exemplifies the importance of being vaccinated.”
Town of Beloit Police Chief Ron Northrop declined to comment when contacted by the Beloit Daily News.
Early in the pandemic, former Republican President Donald Trump signed the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020 that extended death and disability benefits under the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Program to public safety officers who die or become injured as a result of COVID-19. The legislation marks COVID-19 deaths as a line of duty fatality that provides benefits to deceased officers’ families. The bill was extended by Democratic President Joe Biden on Nov. 18.
Going forward, Windorff said police departments must focus on the wellness and mental health of officers as the pandemic continues and years into the future.
“Losing someone in the department is a horrible situation and it’s akin to losing a family member,” Windorff added. “We’re dealing with the pandemic and we’ve dealt with anti-law enforcement sentiment, along with a record number of officers leaving the profession. All of those things create an environment where the mental health of officers is a top priority.”
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- OFFICER DOWN
- United States
- Search
- 2021
2021 Honor Roll of Heroes
Search by YearYear
Go
Total Line of Duty Deaths: 452
- 9/11 related illness 3
- Assault 5
- Automobile crash 20
- COVID19 299
- Drowned 3
- Duty related illness 2
- Gunfire 58
- Gunfire (Inadvertent )2
- Heart attack 18
- Motorcycle crash 3
- Stabbed 3
- Training accident 1
- Vehicle pursuit 3
- Vehicular assault 17
- Weather/Natural disaster 2
***********************************************************************************************************************************
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICECOVID-19 Information for Law Enforcement
Protecting Public Safety and Health
COVID-19 Line-of-Duty Deaths
While COVID-19 is without a doubt a public health crisis, it is also a public safety crisis. The FOP knew at the beginning of the pandemic that law enforcement officers on the front lines combating this pandemic—more than 90% of whom will be responding from local and State agencies—would be increasingly vulnerable to contracting the virus. COVID-19 makes no distinction between age, race or gender. As we had feared, the virus has claimed the lives of many, and now includes a growing number of law enforcement officers.
Please Note: The following list has been compiled using media and news reports of law enforcement officers who have died due to COVID-19. The numbers listed include all reported COVID-19 deaths—not all have been verified. The FOP’s goal is to maintain an accurate and up-to-date list and is working around the clock to support our members as we all respond to the national pandemic. To ensure that every officer is accounted for, if you are aware of an officer that has died in the line of duty due to COVID-19, please feel free to send an email to Mark McDonald with the officer’s information and a link to either a media report or obituary.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us via email at media@fop.net.
Total Deaths (As of December 13, 2021)
816
State
- Alabama
- 13
- Alaska
- 0
- American Samoa
- 0
- Arizona
- 20
- Arkansas
- 11
- California
- 64
- Colorado
- 6
- Connecticut
- 4
- Delaware
- 0
- Florida
- 73
- Georgia
- 52
- Guam
- 2
- Hawaii
- 0
- Idaho
- 0
- Illinois
- 14
- Indiana
- 6
- Iowa
- 4
- Kansas
- 8
- Kentucky
- 9
- Louisiana
- 32
- Maine
- 0
- Maryland
- 6
- Massachusetts
- 6
- Michigan
- 15
- Minnesota
- 1
- Mississippi
- 11
- Missouri
- 13
- Montana
- 2
- Nebraska
- 3
- Nevada
- 6
- New Hampshire
- 0
- New Jersey
- 20
- New Mexico
- 2
- New York
- 52
- North Carolina
- 33
- North Dakota
- 0
- Ohio
- 22
- Oklahoma
- 9
- Oregon
- 1
- Pennsylvania
- 27
- Puerto Rico
- 7
- Rhode Island
- 2
- South Carolina
- 12
- South Dakota
- 0
- Tennessee
- 21
- Texas
- 190
- Utah
- 2
- Vermont
- 0
- Virginia
- 9
- Washington
- 10
- Washington DC
- 5
- West Virginia
- 6
- Wisconsin
- 5
- Wyoming
- 0
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