The Arnold Police Department was missing five officers at the start of the month because of COVID-19, said Chief Bob Shockey, who is among the officers currently quarantining after testing positive for the virus.
Shockey said Sept. 2 that an outbreak started in August, and the department had at least eight of its 55 officers test positive in the last month.
He said officers who test positive must quarantine for 10 days before returning to duty.
“It seems like it is ramping back up, and we have been hit hard here in the last two months,” Shockey said.
To help combat the outbreak, officers are required to wear masks while in the Police Station and when they respond to calls, he said.
Shockey said it is hard to say how the officers are contracting the virus, although it does not appear most of the positive cases have come from interactions with the public.
“It has been the spouse gets it, or one of the kids gets it,” Shockey said.
He said of the eight positive cases, only one officer had to be hospitalized, and that officer was released from the hospital on Sept. 2.
Because of the officers out on quarantine, Shockey said he has had to transfer some officers from a special unit to regular patrol crews.
“Right now, it is not killing us,” Shockey said of having to change assignments. “It has been officers on different crews testing positive. If it keeps up, it could put us in a bit of a spot.”
Shockey said he received a positive test result Aug. 30 after he had suffered cold symptoms for three weeks but had tested negative for the virus on Aug. 22 and Aug. 29.
“I feel fine,” Shockey said. “I guess I have been fortunate. I don’t feel bad, and I have my taste and smell. I was shocked when it came back positive. I had two other tests that were negative. I just went on (Sept. 2) because I felt I should get tested one more time, and I am glad I did. It is crazy. It is coming back.”
Shockey said he has been fully vaccinated against the virus. He also said of the officers who have tested positive, 75 percent of them have been fully vaccinated.
“I wonder if the vaccination is making it less brutal because for most of us, the symptoms have been less severe,” he said.
City Administrator Bryan Richison said the rest of Arnold’s staff has not had an outbreak like the Police Department.
As of Sept. 2, he said no city staff member was out because of COVID-19, and there were maybe three positive cases among city staff members in the last three months.
“We had a few people out temporarily while they awaited test results after a possible exposure, but most of those have come back negative, Richison said.
