SAPD refutes local news outlet’s report on officer who tested positive for COVID-19
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Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
Photo: Ken Branca
Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
Photo: Ken Branca
Information reported by a local news outlet about a police officer who tested positive for COVID-19 was inaccurate, the San Antonio Police Department said during a virtual news conference Tuesday.
On Monday, officials revealed that a police officer tested positive for the virus, the department’s first case. The male officer’s identity was not revealed.
During the news conference on SAPD’s social media channels, Sgt. Michelle Ramos said the news outlet, which she did not name, was spreading misinformation about any threat the officer posed to the community. It is unclear whether the report was inaccurate.
According to SAPD, the news outlet reported that the officer traveled to New York City to pick up a family member who was infected with COVID-19 and then returned to duty without telling his supervisors he was feeling ill.
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The police department refuted the information, saying that another member of the officer’s household traveled to New York and — at that time — no one in his family had received either a positive or negative test result for COVID-19.
The officer returned to work for four days after coming in contact with a family member, Ramos said, but she did not specify which one.
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It is unclear from the news conference if that family member was showing symptoms for the virus or had been exposed. Ramos said the officer informed his supervisor when he began to feel ill and was sent home and asked to seek medical attention.
It is unclear how many people the officer came in contact with during the four days he worked before showing symptoms. Ramos said SAPD is working with Metro Health to determine whether other individuals may have been exposed and whether any additional precautions need to be taken.
“Ensuring the safety of this community is the reason why we come to work every day. Every officer on this department is accountable to one another, and we will never take the trust and accountability that you have in the SAPD for granted,” Ramos said.
Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | [email protected] | @TaylorPettaway
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