NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Two high-ranking NYPD officers have been placed on modified duty after they allegedly submitted fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, the NYPD confirmed Wednesday.
Captain Desmond Morales and Lieutenant Joseph Marsella have been reassigned to desk duty, relieved of their guns and shields as the Internal Affairs Bureau investigates, Deputy Commissioner of Public Information John Miller said in a statement.
"We were clear from the outset that vaccine compliance was a serious matter. It is not just about the individual NYPD employee’s health, but also the health of their coworkers and others around them," Miller said. "We worked out a process. It included how to apply for an exemption and a two-level appeals process."
However, if the allegations are accurate, Miller said, "it is a serious breach of integrity and the law."
The New York Post reports Morales joined the NYPD in 2000 and works in Brooklyn, while Marsella joined in 2008 and works for the 72nd Precinct.
The investigation by IAB comes nearly a month after NYPD Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said he was unaware of any NYPD officers who submitted fake COVID-19 vaccination cards amid reports of alleged schemes in other agencies.
“I could tell you we’ve had zero occurrences of that reported, to my knowledge, internally in the NYPD," Shea told NY1 during an Nov. 16 appearance.
A order by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the entire city workforce, including the NYPD, must have had at least one dose of a vaccine by 5 p.m. on Oct. 29, with the mandate in effect on Nov. 1.
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