New York detective, 48, becomes first officer to die from coronavirus – and third member of NYPD

THE first officer in New York City has died from the coronavirus.

The unidentified 48-year-old NYPD detective passed away on Saturday morning after suffering from the deadly virus, the New York Post reported, citing police sources.

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An NYPD police officer pictured wearing a face mask while working on Friday[/caption]

While the detective was the first officer to die, two other members of the NYPD have also succumbed to the virus.

More than 500 members of the NYPD — 442 of whom are officers — have tested positive for the virus.

John Miller, the deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and intelligence, has been hospitalized with virus symptoms.

On Thursday, an administrative aide working in the Bronx and Dennis Dickson, a 62-year-old cleaner, both died.

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More than 500 members of the NYPD have tested positive for the coronavirus[/caption]

The following day, 4,111 uniformed officers — more than 10 percent of the force and more than three times the daily average — called in sick.

Police officers are among those on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus, and New York City is the epicenter of the country’s outbreak.

While the country is now reporting more than 100,000 positive cases of the virus, the Big Apple alone has nearly 27,000 COVID-19 cases and at least 450 deaths.

At least 5,250 people in the city were hospitalized from Thursday to Friday, and ICUs have at least 1,175 patients.

Health officials recommend people stay at least six feet apart from one another to avoid spreading the virus — but working with the public, the way officers do, makes that difficult.

Former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis described this pandemic as a crisis unlike any American police forces have dealt with before.

“We’re in unprecedented territory here,” he told The Associated Press.

While streets across the U.S. are less crowded, as people stay home, police must still be on duty, outside and in public.

AP:Associated Press

Police officers across the U.S. continue to work, despite the coronavirus pandemic[/caption]

Officers have been preparing for the possibility of civil unrest from people who become anxious or unhappy about government orders or hospitals that get overrun with patients, Davis said.

The NYPD is America’s largest police department — and it continues to say that it’s continuing enforcement as usual.

But officials have also said that if COVID-19 continues to affect manpower, the NYPD could switch patrol hours, or pull officers from specialized units and other parts of the city to fill gaps.

Similar steps were taken after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The NYPD has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country, with officers in Detroit, Michigan having the second highest.

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