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DENVER (KDVR) — Seven members of the Denver Police Department have filed a lawsuit against the city over its COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

The mandate was announced in early August and requires all City of Denver employees be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30 or face termination.

As of Sept. 17, the most recent date data is available for, 87% of the city’s full-time employees were fully vaccinated.

The number was much lower for the Denver Police Department, which only had 74.7% of employees vaccinated.

The lawsuit, which was filed Sept. 23, says Denver Public Health Director Robert MacDonald does not have the authority to instate a COVID-19 vaccine rule or order, and Mayor Michael Hancock did not have the authority to give him that power.

The lawsuit requests a formal review of the vaccine mandate, while at the same time asking for a ban on enforcement when the Sept. 30 deadline comes next week.

In August, FOX31’s Deborah Takahara spoke to several members of the city’s public safety department who said they would not be getting vaccinated even in the face of potentially losing their jobs. All of them asked for anonymity at the time of the interview.

“It may work, it may not work, but at this time, having had COVID and natural immunities, I feel my body is protected and I feel like that is my shield at this time, my faith and natural antibodies,” one of those front-line workers said at the time.