800 NYC Health and Hospitals security peace officers not prepared for active shooter situation
New York City NY December 16 2019
With active shooter situations sadly happening more and more, and, at places that are least expected: like grocery stores, shopping plazas, churches and hospitals, but police officers who work for some of the busiest hospitals around the city tell PIX11 they don’t have the proper training or equipment needed, should a situation arise.
“My biggest fear is an active shooter situation occurring in one of our emergency rooms,” said one officer.
The officers at NYC Health and Hospitals, are known as NY’s Courageous, and, they’re tasked to protect patients, hospital staff and visitors who walk through the doors of the emergency room, but these days, they’re scared for their own lives.
“I don’t have a vest, and I don’t have anything to protect me,” said another to PIX11 News.
They also fear retaliation from the city for speaking out – that’s why their identities were concealed.
The over 800 law enforcement officers carry batons, handcuffs, radios and flashlights while working in the city’s 11 hospitals in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx, but some tell PIX11, since the deadly shooting inside of Bronx Lebanon Hospital back in 2017, they’ve been fighting for more gear and training from the city to be better prepared should another gunman walk into one of their hospitals again.
“Our policy is to help and ensure the safety of the patients and staff but if we not even protected our own selves and properly equipped, how will we do so?”
Earlier this year, 13 hospitals on Long Island armed their security guards, some who are retired cops, with guns, provided them with active-shooter drills, and added optical barriers after an uptick of violence at Northwell Hospitals.
According to hospital police who work in the city, they escort prisoners and interact with people who have mental health illnesses every day, and, there have been multiple times where they thought they weren’t going to make it back home to their families.
“One day a gentleman just walked into the main lobby and he said he wanted to report a murder and he said he was the killer.”
“Another day, one came back with a double barrel shot gun and had it up to his chin, in tears, crying.”
Another officer describes another scary day in the ER.
“When there was the K2 epidemic ..we had many patients come in ..their actions were uncontrollable it took a few of us to control these patients.”
A spokesperson for NYC Health and Hospitals tells PIX11 the current training that’s given to their officers complies with New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services peace officer curriculum, adding: “Our hospital police are a valued part of the public health system and are trained extensively to keep our patients and our employees safe. All new officers attend a training academy, where they learn basic security, active shooter education, de-escalation techniques, naloxone administration, and officer wellness; all officers receive year-round education through practice drills and classes.”
Still, the officers say beyond their badges and batons, they feel helpless, and at the very least should be given vests and tasers.
“I feel very vulnerable.”
“I’m scared for my life every day because i know the job i do but if i had the proper equipment I would feel more comfortable.”
It’s still unclear if the city will add any new active shooter training for the officers, or equip them with more gear, like vests.
PIX11
