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- Dozens of Massachusetts State Troopers resigned as a result of the state's vaccination requirement.
- The State Police Association of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit earlier to try and delay the mandate.
- The union represents 1,800 state troopers, according to the Associated Press.
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Dozens of Massachusetts State Troopers have resigned as a result of the state's COVID-19 vaccination requirement, the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM) said in a statement on Friday.
SPAM President Michael Cherven said in the statement that some of the troopers who are resigning plan to go to other policing departments that are offering alternatives to vaccine mandates like mask-wearing and testing.
He said in the statement that the union is asking for "the same basic accommodations that countless other departments have provided to their first responders, and to treat a COVID related illness as a line of duty injury."
The union, which represents 1,800 state troopers, filed a lawsuit earlier in September asking for more time before Gov. Charlie Baker's state employee vaccination requirement goes into effect on October 17, the Associated Press reported last week.
A Superior Court judge however denied the request from the union to delay the mandate, saying it was in the public's best interest to stop the spread of the deadly virus, the report said.
Around 20% of the state's police force is currently unvaccinated, CBS Boston reported on Monday.
The state's executive department employees who don't show proof of vaccination by the October 17 deadline risk losing their jobs, the report said.