Officials recently told CNN that operational and intelligence failures left them vulnerable to the attack and said they fear the current leadership will be unable to manage future incidents.
Gus Papathanasiou, union president representing grassroots officers, told CNN that the vote is aimed at top leadership, including interim chief Yogananda Pittman, deputy chief Chad Thomas, deputy chief Sean Gallagher, deputy chief Jeffrey Pickett, deputy chief Timothy A. Bowen and deputy chief Eric Waldow. Officers will be able to vote for each individual.
A separate ballot will be available to officers working in the department’s Capitol Division, and they will be asked to vote for a captain in that division, Papathanasiou said.
According to an email sent to members of the department obtained by CNN on Tuesday, Pittman told officials that the vote illustrates “the sentiment and concerns of some of our officers.”
“We all know how hard struggle and sacrifice can be for ourselves and our loved ones,” she wrote. “In these difficult times, it is important to remember that we are also a family. We are stronger together, united than divided.”
In the email, Pittman praised his efforts after his nomination for the agency’s top spot, including improving operational intelligence and communications.
The USCP said in its statement that it is “offering welfare advice and support” to all employees and their families “due to the emotional suffering that many are experiencing”.
“The cops are angry and I don’t blame them,” said Papathanasiou. “The entire executive team has failed us and they must be held accountable.”