'We're hiring!': Indiana officials recruit Chicago cops fed up with vaccine mandate
CHICAGO - Indiana officials are making an informal pitch to recruit Chicago police officers who are disgruntled with the city's vaccination mandate.
The city and the Fraternal Order of Police have sparred publicly over Chicago's vaccine mandate which dictates some 12,000 police officers must provide their vaccination status and get tested twice a week if they are unvaccinated or be placed in a "no pay" status.
Chicago Police Supt. David Brown said Tuesday that 21 officers have been stripped of their powers and pay because they refuse to disclose whether they are vaccinated.
Brown said that 67% of officers have entered their information into the city's database, and of those, 82% are vaccinated.
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) is one of those calling for Chicago police officers to move to the Hoosier State.
"Our police do the hardest job in the world, and they deserve respect — not losing their pay or being fired for refusing to comply with a ridiculous vaccine mandate," Braun said in a statement to Fox News.
Steve Scheckel, chief of police in Munster, Indiana, shared Braun's sentiment, saying they want to help officers "looking for a better quality of life for their family" who may have been ousted from their jobs.
Scheckel noted that his department, which does not have a vaccine mandate, has already hired one individual from Chicago.
"Even though we're 30 minutes from Chicago, we're rated one of the 10 safest cities in the state of Indiana. So, it's really just a step across the state line to a better life for the officer," Sheckel told Fox News.
No vaccine requirements are in place for police departments in nearby Schererville, Merrillville and the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
Indiana State Police Sgt. Glen Fifield took to Twitter to encourage Chicago police officers to apply to join his agency.
FOP President John Catanzara said Monday that there might be a "a lot less officers on the street" if the city enforces its COVID policies.
"[Officers are] not refusing to protect the citizens of Chicago. The city is refusing to let them protect the citizens of Chicago," he said.
Several suburban counties surrounding Chicago said Tuesday their police departments will not help police the city, should officers be taken off the job over the mandate issue.
Fox News contributed to this report.