Entire investigative unit exposed to COVID-19 after Sheriff refuses ‘work from home’ request.
SAN ANTONIO, TX, APRIL 24, 2020 – Last week, in an attempt to prevent illness within our ranks and avoid possible exposure to COVID-19, the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County (DSABC) made an official request to Sheriff Salazar to send investigators who could work from home to work remotely. The sheriff refused the request and now, unfortunately, it has been discovered that an entire investigative traffic homicide unit has been exposed to COVID-19 due to one of the investigators in the unit testing positive.
“This didn’t have to happen,” said Jeremy Payne, President of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County, “All the investigators we requested to work remotely have take-home cars, laptops, and can respond from their homes but, instead they were exposed to an infected colleague and now an entire investigative unit is compromised.”
The DSABC is asking Sheriff Salazar to reconsider his policy of refusing remote work requests for those who are able to do so. The first priority of the DSABC is the health and wellness of our members so that they can continue to serve the public in this time of crisis.
Contact Jeremy Payne by phone at (210) 875-8142 or by email at [email protected].