Armed Security in Hospitals

Is this a good or bad idea in your book? Would you feel safe seeing security armed with glocks, tasers, pepper spray and cuffs? I have seen it both ways. Unarmed and Armed. With proper training. I see no reason not too.
With society the way it is. Assaults are more and more common. Especially in the ER's across the country. Mental health and drug use is growing every day and no one has a solution for it.

I see the good and bad in people almost every shift. Being armed is another tool to use if needed, but , pray you don't.

In the military, the situation is straight forward if your in an infantry unit. You know the situation your going into the people will be armed.

Sarge

Wow armed in a hospital, I couldn't imagine it out where I live. Small Town hospitals no. Maybe in the city hospitals it a good idea but I don't live out there. At our local hospital there is a check in secretary and an information desk usually manned by a senior citizen.
I have been to the city hospitals and it is a different world for sure. Have never heard of incidents happening but I'm sure they do, just another reason for me to live out in the country.

Why do they need armed guards? In the last ten years or so every hospital I am aware of has a no weapons or smoking sign. The no gun no smoking/chewing policy should be enough protection.

Unarmed, uniformed security guards are dead men walking if the wirst ever happens.

Danny, bad guys don't give a hoot to what a sign says or a law. Metals detectors are in my area hospitals, and we are all rural. Mark my word, Armed security or off duty LEO's are going to be in all hospitals within the next few years. Sign of the times. Wither people like it or not. Sarge

The large hospitals I am at as a chaplain all have armed security, but their visible presence is minimal. The dispatch area is where the cameras and security persons are at and they have a bunch of lens everywhere these days. Most of these security personnel are men who have military background and every last one of the ones I've met is serious about their role of "securing."

How much gun violence actually happens in hospitals? A quick search showed that simple assaults, patients against staff were between 0,08 and 3%. Actual gun violence is way below those small figures.

Most of the articles and studies I read claimed an "increase" in violence but offered no statistical evidence of that.

i think i will carry my own firearm and whoever put the sign up will just have to be upset about it

As far as tasers...unless its the kind that you have to actually touch someone with it, the gun type that fires leads are basically worthless unless the target is naked.

They put up a No weapons sign ought to be liable for the publics overall Protection. Take away the Right to self protect. Liable

"Dispatch area" almost spit my coffee till I read the rest lol
On this site dispatch area takes on a whole new meaning

I was in an ortho wing once and armed guards where assigned to guard a prisoner. When we did our walking in the halls, a guard accompanied the handcuffed prisoner.

I can visualize someone being murdered to prevent them from testifying.

In 2007 my wife was in a bad vehicle accident and was air flighted to Vanderbuilt Hospital in Nashville Tn. While she was in Emergency, a gang related shooting victim was brought in and Emergency immediately went into armed lockdown. We were told it was standard procedure in case members of the other gang tried to follow-up and finish the job at the hospital. Based on that, I assume armed security is standard practice in most or all big city hospitals.

paramedics in Detroit wear bullet proof vests.

I'm fine with armed guards. I think everyone should be armed.

Domestics and gang violence are a concern in the larger urban trauma centers.

As do some of Atlanta's.

My wife works in an ER in a hospital with no security. She's been punched, kicked, pinched more times than she can count. Most violence against medical professionals goes unreported. Most times it's the hospital system that doesn't want the publicity of having someone assaulted. So they make it go away.

I bet if you polled any medical pro that has been at the job for more than 5 years you'd find that the number of those that had been slapped, punched, or kicked would be near 100%.

In our town the response time for our police is around 5-10 minutes. A motivated violent person can do a lot of damage and get away in the short amount of time.

Do I think there should be armed security in hospitals?? yes. At least the ER or entrance to the ER.

I once had a dust up with a nurse at my local ER. She pitched a hissy because of the fixed blade in its sheath on my hip. I had been there for an hour with the missus and this idiot wanted to act like I was some kind of threat. Made me take it out to the car.

When they were finally done and we were leaving I made it a point to stop by her station and empty my pockets on her desk just to show her that I was far from unarmed and not a threat the entire time.

The missus has worked in nursing homes her entire life, since she was 15, and getting hit, groped, pinched, etc is just part of the job. It can range from dementia to lecherous old farts to outright hostility. What's sad is some of those little old ladies can be downright mean.

Just so long as everyone knows that the no gun policy is for your safety according to the V.A.

Don't know that firearms are a good idea in hospitals, the way they are built today. Our hospital security doesn't fool around anymore, become disruptive or threaten staff, multiple security persons appear, they call and a minimum of 6 leo show up. Used to be security only carried radios and restraints. Today with rising number of incidents, security now wear vests and carry baton, taser, and spray; but no firearms yet.

All those weapon signs only mean anything to the law abiding folks. Criminals could care less. Some don't bother to hide their weapons.

I support the the right of the people to keep and bear arms. Even security.

I agree Warrior. She loves her "little old men". So she doesn't get too upset when she gets a pinch from them.

But recently (last 10-15 years) it's the 20 and 30 year olds that are becoming the problem.

Sadly they're not allowed to hit back. Unless a person is extremely violent they aren't allowed to "snow" the person as it's considered a restraint.

The child molester hospital in sioux falls is plastered with no gun signs and security has a taser. I smile as i walk by both with a gun whenever i have an appointment. Idiots.

My wife works at a hospital. It blows my mind they dont have any security. The best they got is some soft boy nurses and a couple old men wandering around the hospital fixing stuff. Cops bring in nutbags all the time up there, or show up on their own and cops have to be called. Lots of crazy folks strung out on some powerful dope. Noone is allowed to conceal carry on the premises either, so everyone up there is technically unarmed. Absolute insanity if you ask me. With the people coming up there to the ER looking for drugs the docs wont give them (to anyone anymore because of that) anything more than a norco IF they even needed it to begin with. Always some idjit running out the back door hiding in the bushes randomly up there. Not to mention the verbal assaults that sometimes cross the line into pure sexual harrassment, or worse.


SO yeah I can only imagine the craziness in bigger hospitals in more blue areas. IMO it wouldnt hurt to have a full time cop on premises or at least a proper security guard or 2 to protect those women up there trying to do their job. After reading some of yalls posts on this....If we lived nearer to the gang crap yall are complaining of, my wife would never work at those hospitals. We would keep walking till we found a better place. people need to stop tolerating that nonsense.

OR we could just do what i been screaming for years. EVERYONE get a gun, learn to use, and carry it literally everywhere you go. Then stop tolerating degenerates doing degenerate stuff. If we all did that, we would no longer have to worry about criminals for the most part. pretty simple solution that just takes just a little personal responsibility.

All of the hospitals in my area actually have their own Police Departments and their Officers attend the same Police Academy as the local and county officers.

Just a matter of time before the smash and grab crowd start hitting hospitals and clinics they are hitting drugstores already this will evolve, unarmed security is like having no security with the big crowds that rush the stores. Most are useless and told to get out of the way by the employers so what’s the point.

^^^ This
Every American 15 yrs old and older should have a 9mm pistol and 5.56 rifle, be proficient with them and in traditional American Civics.
They should also be able to have whatever other firearms and accoutrements their hearts desire and their wallets can cover.
Constitutional Carry ought to be the Law of the Land across all fifty States.
Completing the Project Appleseed course ought to be required to enter high school.

Serious question- why do you have an appointment at a "child molester" hospital?

My wife is a nurse in a mental facility. She deals with some pretty shady and some pretty dangerous characters Some of these nut jobs have killed other patients and have a history of attacking staff. . You're right, in this state hitting back is frowned upon (liberal bullcrap). Her facility and many others have a system in place where staff protects each other.

She is a Mandt instructor. It is a system designed to be a comprehensive, integrated approach to preventing, de-escalating (a liberals wet dream) and, if necessary, intervening (the bottom line and real purpose of the training). She teaches restraint holds a different physical moves to protect staff members and terminate aggressive behavior by patients. She practices them on me.

Also, staff knows where there are no cameras.

But I don't think any of that rises to the level of needing armed guards. Can you imagine the fallout from a guard filling an unarmed patient full of holes?

I do a lot of medical deliveries. Drugs, specimens, implants, surgical instruments, so, I've been to most every hospital in the region. There is one in particular, where all gang members, and victims get sent. You don't find armed uniformed officers out of place there. I never really paid attention if these are police sent for a situation, or resident security. Either way, they are not out of place.

I totally disagree! Every red blooded patriot knows the proper fighting handgun caliber starts with a 4.

Most everyone in Israel carries so do those in some Scandinavian countries, we don't hear to much about bad guys there ?

What are you worried about if the hospital is armed or guarded, afraid they won't let you in or some one with you ?

You are living in the past if you cannot see what is goin on around you ! Have you not seen or heard about Police being defunded in some cities? Do you think they are going to continue work for free ? What about Airports, we used to be able to just glide on by after buying our tickets. Used to, read that again Used to !!!

Sign of the times when we have to go backwards in defending ourselves instead of have an element of mobile security around, people brought into hospitals any more are rife with problems besides the one they came in with and more often than not with larger cities the employees can read this as they enter the ER.

In my view of the elements we see out there that want to enjoy them selves to anything we have or enjoy our loved ones in tragic ways, carrying is the least thing I'm worried about. I'm more worried that what is better that I drop them in the hallway by the ER or let them get closer to the person working on who I brought in !

It is only going to get worse if the citizens do not start showing these maggots' that we are not going to take being pushed around because of them !

I do agree in secure treatment areas.

Public areas, though, are a whole different animal.

Not to get too sidetracked, but, Really?. I don't think I ever heard that before. I may need to do some research.

PS
Quick preliminary research says it just ain't so.

????????

I see nothing wrong with competent people doing security work being armed wherever they are....but there is a shortage of competence.

????? I have to question that too.
How many appointments does a guy need for a child molestor hospital?

There has been armed security in many hospitals for a long time. My Dad was in the Cleveland Clinic in 2013, armed City Police or Deputies there back then. Saw it first hand people getting unruly in the ER, because they had to wait 15-30 minutes because they had a runny nose.

I am happy they are hiring armed guards. What I want to know is what am I supposed to do if some nut job shows up ? Watch Netflix on my phone till they show up? This idea that people are safer depending on someone else is ludicrous. It amazes me how many people are fine with depending on the goodwill of strangers. What would stop armed security from hiding in the parking lot the way that deputy did at the school in Florida?

Signs saying " For Your Safety No Firearms Or Other Weapons Allowed" get me so hot its good I am bald. Else my hair would be on fire.

Must be when they are in the military then, I did read it some where not to long ago, sorry if your research does not match TRex

The major benefactor to one of our hospitals here in SD was accused of having child porn on his computer a few years back he does not even work at the hospital or live in SD full time.

P.S. I have yet to find anybody at the V.A. hospital in Topeka that can explain how I am safer when I am unarmed. I have asked. Multiple administrators. They just make excuses. Get irritated. Tell me their hands are tied. No matter who's in the whitehouse. Big R or Big D the sign stays.

In some Scandinavian countries you serve in the military you keep your service weapon and are required to qualify yearly they supply the ammo. Armed Israelis is very common and encouraged there everyone is considered a soldier and are trained.

Maybe the idea is to keep the inmates...er, I mean patients, from escaping?

I wish we did that here. Require everyone with no felony record to be trained with a rifle and small unit unit tactics the summer they turn 18. Three months no pay. Just armed trained civilians. Wash out for anything except physical limitations or low IQ and lose the right to vote or have a government job. Our military is too big and to expensive. Time to concentrate on U.S. defense. If Europeans and the Japanese want our troops to remain, let them pay 100% of the cost.

Got a little story about being "threatened" with hospital security...

Late February 2020 my wife had surgery and returned home. A couple of weeks later she apparently thrashed enough in her sleep to tear her stitches loose and started bleeding. I rushed her back to the hospital and had to help her walk into the ER. At that point she was in shock... Blood was pouring from her body and she was vomiting.

We get in the ER lobby and I shouted for help. The receptionist looked up and told us to have a seat so she could get some info. I declined. Again, I insisted that my wife be seen immediately. My wife is getting very weak and sat down in the chair. And this idiot starts in with the usual questions... Name, address, social security number...

I lost it. I screamed at her, "We don't have time for your stupid @&#$+ paperwork! She's bleeding to death and needs to be seen right now!"

She looks at me and says, "Sir, if you yell at me again I will have to call security."

I looked her dead in the eye and calmly said, "That's fine. Tell him to bring a friend. He's going to need one."

An ER nurse heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. Saw my wife, put her in a wheelchair and told me to follow her. We got back into a stall and they started working on my wife. Got her stable enough and sent her up for emergency surgery.

After they took her up I went to the waiting room. A bit later the security guard came through on his rounds... Dude must've been 90 years old. LOL

Do hospitals need security? Sure. But if you don't hire idiots who are more worried about paperwork than someone actively hemorrhaging to death... You might not have to call security as often.

Mike

I have a fair amount of experience regarding this topic. Gang shootings show up at any bigger city trauma hospital about every night. The "victims" "boys" show up too. Then the rival gang shows up. Those armed security have reduced a LOT of bloodshed inside the hospitals over the years. Now I know what people will say "Go ahead and let them kill each other". Problem is there are innocent people also at the hospital trying to get care and those are the people who usually getting hit.

I thought all hospitals had armed security and or regular police officers. I used to have a security company and we occasionally supplied extra guards, mostly police officers or men just out of the military, to cover vacations and other shortages in armed security staff. Guarding prisoners that were injured before or during arrest, takes a huge number of man hours.

Keith

"Every American 15 yrs old and older should have a 9mm pistol and 5.56 rifle, be proficient with them and in traditional American Civics."

You obviously haven't met the average 15 year old.

Good idea.


After all, what stops someone from bringing a gun into hospitals now.... a sign?



Employees should be able to legally carry concealed if they so choose. It adds an element of unknown for would be attackers while giving those within the walls a real possibility of avoiding a massacre. Relying on a single or few individuals to protect hundreds is a recipe for potential disaster. See armed guards of Columbine or Parkland for details.

Gun Free zones only work out for the evil. It may sound like a good idea on paper, but in reality, they’re disasters waiting to happen. Best case scenario is officers are hauling in someone for medical procedure already and are available for immediate response.

Chicago has always had cops in the hospitals working at all times day and night. I carry mine all the time here in SD never had a issue with it at any hospital I go into.

Haha. Ya after reading that…its not a hospital for child molesters, its named after an “alleged pervert”.

It has been the norm in many bigger city hospitals for many years.

it is definitely getting a lot more common even in much smaller cities

people are getting very angry at the medical establishment

as some one of my friends said recently her son is an ER doc finishing up his residency , "So much for for social Media , it hasn't made any one more social , it has made them Less social , people don't even know how to interact with each other any more." it was a general statment about new employees , workers we see places , the younger generations ,

if the kids of the 80s were the ME generation this group is the ME ME MEME ME ME MEME ME generation.

I can't blame them for wanting security that can do something more than call the police

it seems like there is a police cruiser parked at the Monroe hospital nearly every time I go to the ER at night , which isn't that often once twice a year but they are there probably a lot more than that.

I live in a community with a mid size hospital. They have armed security. Lots of unstable, drunk, drugged folks pass through the ER. I see no sense having security if they aren’t armed.

As long as I can remember , armed police were in hospitals .
Even the little village I live in has armed officers , more so visible now than before also .
Yes drugs are attracting some very scary uncaring individuals to where there's a plentiful supply .
You never know how some people are either on drugs or with head trauma .

Appreciate all the comments.

I will say again. Don't be surprised if you don't see more armed security in hospitals in the near future.

Also, if you come to South Carolina, You will see it. Guaranteed! Sarge

I guess I am just getting grumpy as I age but I think if you are going to post a sign that I can't carry in your establishment you should be required to have at least two armed security guards per 50 people that visit your establishment throughout the day in other words if you have 100 customers during the day you would have to have at least 4 security officers on duty at all times/ They should have to be better trained than I am after all you don't feel that I am capable of safely carrying a firearm in your establishment so whomever you hire to do so would have to be better trained than me in order to be able to safely do it.

I think he means they need to be brought up to be on level with a 15 year old responsible enough for that

if you don't set expectations they just keep looking for the bottom

then again if you got 15 or heck even 18 year olds to the point they were trustworthy and proficeint with rifle and pistol you likely wouldn't ahve hardly any issues.

It's a responsibility issue ,