Hennepin Healthcare cuts ties with sheriff’s department security, may arm security officers
Hennepin County MN December 17 2018
Hennepin Healthcare, which operates one of the busiest trauma hospitals in Minnesota, is cutting its contract for law enforcement security at the end of the year and considering arming its in-house security force to protect patients and staff.
The decision has generated discord among Hennepin Healthcare leadership and some county officials, who fear it will make the hospital less secure. Outgoing Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, whose deputies have patrolled the hospital for the past four years, said the change could open a “Pandora’s box” for civil liability, a public relations disaster and heightened regulatory scrutiny, if a security guard were to shoot a gun on the hospital grounds.
“They don’t have any more authority than a citizen,” Stanek said in an interview this week. “The only difference is they may be wearing a uniform and they may be carrying a gun — which, any time you introduce a gun into a situation, it’s a whole other set of circumstances and problems.”
Dr. Jon Pryor, CEO of Hennepin Healthcare, said he “wholeheartedly disagrees” with Stanek’s assessment. He said relying on hospital security more familiar with the health care clientele and staff, with an emphasis on de-escalation, will make the environment safer.
“What I would say is there’s less of a chance that one of our security officers is going to shoot somebody because our security knows our patients, knows our staff,” said Pryor.
Pryor said he’s still weighing his options and talking to law enforcement agencies about a potential month-to-month security contract. With weeks to go, it’s still not clear if law enforcement will be patrolling the hospital beginning Jan. 1.
Hennepin Healthcare, formerly known as Hennepin County Medical Center, runs a Level 1 trauma center in Minneapolis’ Downtown East neighborhood. Last year, its emergency room treated more than 111,000 patients, according to the hospital’s data.
