“I've been watching the news when they talk about the mass exodus from the NYPD. . . . Every single one of those police experts, every single former police commissioner—not one of them mentioned a vaccine mandate, which is the number one reason that all of these people are leaving. I get calls every day from guys that even took the vaccine that call me and ask me how to vest out. ” - John Macari
In this episode of the New York Mandate podcast, I talk with Retired Lieutenant John Macari, who took an early retirement after 18 years with the New York City Police Department in 2021, because he did not want to comply with the vaccine mandate for NYC municipal workers. In February 2022, he and his family moved to Florida.
Macari had submitted both a religious exemption application based on his Christian faith, and a medical exemption application based on his recent recovery from a serious case of COVID-19 and subsequent antibody test results. Both applications were rejected.
He talked with me about his experience with the medical system when he was ill with COVID-19, enforcement of pandemic policies within the NYPD, and the difficult position police are in when they’re tasked with enforcing laws and policies they’re opposed to.
We also talked about his religious views on the vaccine mandate, the response of NYC’s police unions, and his pessimistic take on where the NYPD is headed.
More from John Macari:
New York’s Finest: Retired & Unfiltered PODCAST
This is John Macari’s new podcast focusing on the lives and careers of NYPD police.
Senseless Mandates, Soaring Crime, and a Special Career
This is another great interview with John Macari on Officer Anthony Weaver’s podcast, Diakonos: A Cop’s Calling.
Follow John Macari on Twitter: @JohnDMacari
Follow the New York’s Finest podcast on Twitter: @RetiredNYFinest
Here are some links related to things we talked about during the episode:
Lieutenants Benevolent Association on Twitter
The LBA reprsents police lieutenants in New York City. The LBA also has a website, but it is not publicly accessible.
Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York
The PBA is the largest municipal police union in the world, representing the approximately 24,000 NYPD members who hold the rank of Police Officer.
NYPD Puts 4,650 Vaccine Firings on Hold: Insiders
New York Post article on the city putting terminations of the police on hold because firing police who have requested exemptions would cause the department to lose thousands of employees. Many remain on hold.
NYPD exodus ‘has become a stampede:’ PBA leader Lynch
New York Post article reporting a record 2,119 police having left the job in the first six months of 2022.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The EEOC enforces federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, transgender status, and sexual orientation), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for City Employees and Certain City Contractors
This is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on October 20, 2021 requiring New York City municipal employees and contractors to be vaccinated.
Order of the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to Require COVID-19 Vaccination in the Workplace
This is the order that former Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on December 13, 2021 requiring all workers in New York City who work in a workplace or interact with other workers or the public to be vaccinated.
NYC Vaccination Requirement: Workplaces
This is where you can find current information on New York City’s workplace vaccination requirements.
About the New York Mandate Podcast
The New York Mandate Podcast is an ongoing series of conversations exploring the costs and consequences of vaccine mandates in New York City. I’ll be talking with workers who have been directly affected by the mandates, as well as legal and policy experts.
In late 2021, the city introduced a series of requirements for workers to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. These requirements were put in place through executive orders issued by the administration of former mayor Bill de Blasio.
Current mayor Eric Adams continues to support the mandates, and they now extend to most working people in the city of New York. Private sector employers are required to affirm that their employees have been vaccinated, and public sector employees of city agencies have been terminated or put on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the vaccine requirement.
The views expressed in the New York Mandate podcast are the personal opinions of the people speaking, and are not intended to provide medical or legal advice.
Join the Conversation
Have you lost your job, been put on leave, or lost opportunities to work as an independent contractor as a result of your decision not to comply with a New York vaccine mandate? Did you take a vaccine against your wishes in order to keep your job? Please get in touch with me at NYMpodcast@protonmail.com.
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