. Police officers were among the first front-line workers to gain priority access to coronavirus vaccines. But their vaccination rates are lower than or about the same as those of the general public, according to data made available by some of the nation s largest law enforcement agencies. The reluctance of police to get the shots threatens not just their own health but the safety of people they re responsible for guarding, monitoring and patrolling, experts say. At the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 39% of employees have gotten at least one dose, officials said, compared to more than 50% of eligible adults nationwide. In Atlanta, 36% of sworn officers have been vaccinated. Twenty-eight percent of those employed by the Columbus Division of Police Ohio s largest police department report having received a shot.