Another death has been reported by the NYPD of a Brooklyn traffic enforcement agent, bringing the number of uniform and non-uniform members of the department to seven as the COVID-19 crisis continues into April.
The latest death comes as the department is reporting 17 percent or 6,172 members of the force out sick with 1,218 uniformed members and 150 civilian members tested positive for the coronavirus.
NYPD Traffic Agent Karisma Dargan, assigned to Brooklyn Traffic Enforcement, was reported to have died on Wednesday, April 1. She has been working for the NYPD since February 2017. The department could not confirm that she died of coronavirus.
Over the weekend, Bronx Detective Cedric Dixon became the first uniformed member of the department to die from the virus. One Police Plaza custodian Dennis Dixon and Police Administrative Aide Jocamina Barr Brown also perished last week.
School Safety Agent Sabrina Jefferson worked in the Patrol Borough Queens South School Safety Unit and was assigned to the 113th Precinct in southeast Queens. She died from COVID-19 complications Sunday, March 29. On Monday 30, Senior Police Administrative Aide Gwendolyn King, who was assigned to Police Service Area 3 in Brooklyn, succumbed to suspected coronavirus complications on Monday.
NYPD Chief of Department Terrence Monahan said yesterday that 167 members of the department were returning from sick leave and would fill the gaps of officers who were now reporting out sick. Officers are practicing social distancing in the field, while they are still investigating crimes.
Officers continue to visit restaurants, bars, supermarkets, salons and public spaces to remind individuals of the ban on congregating in public spaces and to practice social distancing: On April 1, NYPD officers visited 2,687 supermarkets of which 1,334 were closed; 7,058 bars and restaurants of which 5,074 were closed; 1,244 public places of which 632 were closed (stores that were open were mostly take-out services); 3,379 personal care facilities of which 3,379 were closed. There were no arrests or summonses issued in regard to these visits.
FDNY reports 3000 are out sick
The FDNY has said that about 3000 members, both uniform and non-uniform are out on medical leave. Of those, 338 are confirmed to have Covid-19, both firefighters and emergency medical services.
EMS has come under the most pressure as they are “the front lines” of the coronavirus outbreak. Most are concerned that they have enough PPE on hand to be safe in dealing with suspected coronavirus patients.
Firefighters have been instructed to stay outside of suspected cases of coronavirus.
