ED Security

[corpsmanUP]

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Anyone know what the volume should be to justify having a licensed peace officer in the department for security? One of my main gigs is a 20K volume with moderately high accuity and in a depressed area with reasonable amount of violence, occasional shootings, routine gang-banger presence. We only have low budget security officers with no weapons. My administrator pointed out this article as a reason NOT to consider real officers. I work at many other places with the same volume and they all have off duty officers. Anyone have any insight on this and what is your experience with such?

http://www.campussafetymagazine.com...ff-Duty-Law-Enforcement-Officers-or-Else.aspx

 

[docB]

I don't think ED census is the best indicator of need for armed security and/or police in the ED. I would say it's crime rates in the surrounding area and history of that particular shop.

Of my EDs I don't really think we need police in the 40K/yr places in the burbs but at Downtown General I often feel like we need it.

However the last shooting we had in an ED in town happened at one of the suburban places (not mine). The last shooting in a hospital happened just upstairs from where I'm sitting now.

 

[n2b8me]

😉

 

[BKN]

Corpsman,

The presence of armed security officers (licensed peace officers or otherwise) may make for less security. Of the three gun incidents that have happened in my institutions over 30 years, twice the weapon in play was that of the officer, taken from him by the perp. In one incident the officer was killed, in one the perp was killed.

There is a case for the belief that calling security "guest services", wearing a blazer rather than a uniform and using non-confrontative tactics whenever possible prevents escalation of incidents.

Since we did all that and added a metal detector at the ambulatory entrance 15 years ago, we've had no more incidents. Not saying it would work in every inner city, but it works for us, two miles from maybe the most dangerous city in the western hemisphere.

BKN