Police officers serving the Provo area and Brigham Young University are not being mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Provo police officers were encouraged but not required to be vaccinated, Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King said. Utah Valley Hospital set up times to make it easy for officers to stop in to receive the vaccine.
BYU Police Lt. Jeff Long said the BYU administration is allowing officers to make their own choice on whether to be vaccinated. Some officers have chosen to receive the vaccine, but Long said the department has kept their choices private.
“It seems there is a political undertone to the whole vaccination topic and no one wants to get labeled,” Long said.
King said the majority of officers chose to be vaccinated because of the vaccines efficiency and availability.
“We were allowed to get our vaccines early, so it was definitely worth taking advantage of right away,” King said. “We’re fortunate to serve a community that is so willing to be involved in the wellness of others.”
