Blue Flu

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a sick-out staged by police officers

A number of reports out of Atlanta suggest police officers there have called in sick, en masse, in response to the filing of criminal charges Wednesday against the two officers present during the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks.

According to CNN, the Washington Post, and WRBL, a "blue flu" has spread across Atlanta's police ranks, with officers insisting Wednesday evening they were too sick for their night shifts.

The Post reports the city struggled to fill the unexpected gaps in its patrols, and actively tried to temper social media chatter about a mass police walkout.

There are no numbers yet on how many officers have called in sick, but Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told CNN she's not concerned about the no-shows.

"We do have enough officers to cover us through the night," Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said during an interview Wednesday evening. "Our streets won't be any less safe because of the number of officers who called out."

According to the Post, the Atlanta Police Department did confirm a larger-than-normal number of officers were absent from the job Wednesday, but denied an organized strike was underway.

A tweet from the department last night reads: "Earlier suggestions that multiple officers from each zone had walked off the job were inaccurate. The department is experiencing a higher than usual number of call outs with the incoming shift. We have enough resources to maintain operations and remain able to respond to incidents."

The reports indicate that the sick calls started coming in not long after Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced the 11 charges — including one for murder — against fired Atlanta policeman Garrett Rolfe, who fatally shot Brooks last Friday in the parking lot of a Wendy's restaurant.

A labor strike is brewing in the NYPD.

A pair of flyers making their rounds among NYPD officers are encouraging them to call out sick July 4th — as retribution for police reform and a perceived anti-cop climate following the outrage over high-profile police killings of unarmed black men across the country, multiple cops told The Post.

One message calls for the strike to kick off at 3 p.m. July 4.

“NYPD cops will strike on July 4th to let the city have their independence without cops,” the message, which is being passed among cops via text, according to sources.

“Cops that say we can’t strike because of the Taylor Law,” the message reads, referencing a law that makes public worker stoppages punishable with fines and jail time. “The people and this city doesn’t [sic] honor us why honor them [sic].”

It’s unclear whether the messages are being written by other police officers.

Another message seen by police officers reads #Bluflu and instructs cops to call out sick on Independence Day.

“Police officers like you and me took an oath to protect strangers regardless of race, class or gender,” the message reads. “Today we are vilified and must stand as one.”

It then gives instructions for a sickout, telling members to call their precinct and request a sick day. If they are denied, the message instructs them to call the main NYPD sick desk.

If that doesn’t work, officers are instructed to report for duty — then ask for an ambulance so they can go home sick.

“If you are held because of the #Bluflu, request a bus and go sick from command,” the flyer reads.

PBA President Patrick Lynch said the “blue flu” has been a joke for generations, but “the situation we are in right now is no joke” and NYC cops “have reached the breaking point.”

“Over the past few weeks, we have been attacked in the streets, demonized in the media and denigrated by practically every politician in this city,” Lynch said.

“Now we are facing the possibility of being arrested any time we go out to do our job.”

The NYPD responded that police will be at work on July 4, as always.

“New York City Police Officers will be here today, tomorrow, and on the 4th of July to protect all New Yorkers,” Sergeant Mary Frances O’Donnell, DCPI Spokesperson, said.

“To suggest otherwise is false.”

Well, after their funding is cut I guess we know who's first in line to get fired. And nothing of value will be lost.

If the whiners can't stand society trying to reign in their worst impulses they really need to find another line of work.

You mean they're going to correctly pick and choose the bad cops to be fired?

It seems likely that the ones most likely to be willing to protest are also the ones most sympathetic to using excessive force, but ultimately I'm not that concerned if every single participant is among the very worse, because it's also intended to communicate a message that yes, a culture change is about to be imposed, get on-board or gtfo.

I don't want police to think they can bully the general public and reminding them that they're public servants is sometimes needed.

:evil: so those flatfoots are saying, "let us beat you up with malice aforethought, or we'll just go on strike and show you sheeple" - that is infuriating bloodyminded behavior of those fascist pigs. if i were in charge i would SO FIRE THOSE BASTARDS and blackball them from future police work. if just about EVERY OTHER western nation's police force can be FAR more professional and maintain FAR higher standards, why can't our police forces do likewise? americans deserve far FAR BETTER.

The problem with this approach is that you are more likely to drive out the "good" police, leaving the "bad" ones in place, and cause only further future "bad" ones to be willing to apply to work in the role.

Have you considered that the way the police in various countries are treated (both by their respective governments, members of the public, and through funding supplied for training/pay) might affect the standard of applicants you get for the roles? If you are going to focus on the "bad", expect more of it. If you focus on (and reward) the "good", expect more of that instead.

:evil: so those flatfoots are saying, "let us beat you up with malice aforethought, or we'll just go on strike and show you sheeple" - that is infuriating bloodyminded behavior of those fascist pigs. if i were in charge i would SO FIRE THOSE BASTARDS and blackball them from future police work. if just about EVERY OTHER western nation's police force can be FAR more professional and maintain FAR higher standards, why can't our police forces do likewise? americans deserve far FAR BETTER.

The problem with this approach is that you are more likely to drive out the "good" police, leaving the "bad" ones in place, and cause only further future "bad" ones to be willing to apply to work in the role.

It's charisma, some deception and putting on a face that gets people put in charge, not just in the police. You would never be put in charge in the first place. That's not an attack on you of course. And I'll add to the above, about 99% of people aren't able to tell the deception these people put on, or they're too scared to "stir things up" and rile up the group. That's how most people operate.