The NYPD is considering putting together “DOA Teams” to help collect the mounting number of bodies from the coronavirus, The Newe York Post has learned.
In an email to police on the morning of April 1, 2020, police higher-ups asked for volunteers from the detective unit to form citywide teams to collect those deemed dead on arrival, promising 60 hours of overtime per month for the difficult assignment.
That is twice the amount of overtime permitted by the department under normal circumstances.
“The idea of creating a Borough DOA Team is being looked [sic] at and we only want volunteers for it… no forcing anybody,” the message said. “It would be three teams (2 investigators per team).”
The death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 1,000 in the five boroughs on Tuesday, with city officials expecting that number to continue rising over the coming weeks.
Officials said Tuesday that 84 percent of the city’s ICU beds were already filled, leaving just 392 open for critically ill COVID-19 patients.
An NYPD spokesperson denied such a plan was in the works.
“The police department is not considering this plan,” he said.
Sources:
New York Post: NYPD considering ‘DOA Teams’ to collect bodies of coronavirus victims
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