GOP Tennessee governor invites New York and LA cops who refuse to get vaccinated to join the state's highway patrol

• Tennessee's governor invited unvaccinated cops from New York and Los Angeles to join his state's highway patrol.
• Gov. Bill Lee said that Tennessee "won't get between you and your doctor" in a recruitment video.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee invited New York and Los Angeles police officers who refuse to get vaccinated to join his state's highway patrol on Wednesday.

"We won't get between you and your doctor," Lee said in a video on Twitter.

He said his government would help to cover the moving expenses for those willing to relocate.

"In Tennessee, you will be given our full support and respect, and I work to make sure your freedoms are protected," he said.

Trying to sell the move, he said the state has a "low cost of living and "no income tax." He also called the highway patrol "one of the most professional" in the US.

Vaccination mandates for employees in various cities across the country have led to pushback from unions. In October, the NYPD's union sued the state over its requirement that state employees get vaccinated.

Lee isn't the first to try to lure in cops who refuse to get the jab.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in October that he wants to offer $5,000 bonuses for law enforcement officers who won't get vaccinated to relocate to Florida from out of state.

He specifically called out officers from New York, Minneapolis, and Seattle.

Also last month, an Indiana police department tried to lure officers from Chicago after Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a vaccine mandate for city employees.