12 state police members fired for not getting COVID vaccine

Eleven Massachusetts State Police troopers and one sergeant have been fired for not getting vaccinated against COVID-19, as required by an executive order issued last year, the state police said.

State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio said in an email Sunday the 12 individuals were terminated Friday in the culmination of an internal hearing process.

In a social media post, Patrick McNamara, the president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, called the firings “shameful.”

Procopio says none of the 12 troopers who were fired were among seven troopers who have been party to a lawsuit against the vaccination requirements. The lawsuit by those troopers, who had sought a religious exemption from the vaccine mandate, remains pending.

Last summer Republican Gov. Charlie Baker ordered 44,000 executive branch workers and contractors to get a COVID-19 vaccine or face suspension and ultimately the loss of their jobs.

The vast majority of those employees have been vaccinated.