A fourth Oakland Police Department officer tested positive for COVID-19 and the department said Tuesday he may have exposed as many as 93 other employees.
Out of the 93, 88 were tested at the Hayward mobile testing unit and five others off site.
The officer who tested positive was exposed during a traffic stop last week, the department said, and a source with direct knowledge of the issue said that although officers are provided with personal protective equipment, the officer has chosen not to wear it.
“At points during this incident yes and at points no. When officers are, and it’s mandatory, when officers are making detention or arrest or transporting a person, then they have to utilize personal protective equipment,” said Interim Deputy Chief Roland Holmgrem.
For perspective, the police union said the average watch shift operates with about 35 officers, meaning nearly two shift-worth of officers may have been in contact with this exposed officer. Prior to this latest case, the police union said 247 OPD employees had been exposed to COVID-19 since the outbreak began, only four have tested positive.
As more officers and employees continue to get tested, OPD headquarters underwent a deep cleaning Tuesday.
