“Le voy llamar a la policía” If you are filled with instant panic whenever you see a police officer or a police car, it’s likely because your parents said they’ll call the cops to come take you away and put you in jail if you misbehaved. Some gaucho parents probably went so far as to have a police officer go along with pretending to arrest you if you were especially necio. Photo via Shutterstock Credit: Shutterstock

The number of San Antonio police officers diagnosed with COVID-19 has made a nine-fold increase since late May, according to SAPD numbers released Monday.

A total of 51 officers have now tested positive for the coronavirus, up from just six on May 29.

According to the figures released by the department, 151 SAPD personnel are now in quarantine to reduce the potential spread. Of those, 71 are officers and the rest civilian employees.

SAPD didn’t reveal the severity of the cases or the likely cause for the rising numbers. However, infections are rising citywide.

San Antonio’s number of COVID-19 cases grew from 2,636 on May 29 to 10,147 on Sunday, prompting city officials to ask the state for help staffing an emergency hospital facility at Freeman Coliseum to handle potential patient overflow. 

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This article appears in Jun 17-30, 2020.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...