Portneuf Medical Center locked down during SWAT stand-off with armed suicidal man
Pocatello ID March 7 2018 For more than two hours on Sunday night, Pocatello police negotiated with a suicidal man who was armed with a handgun in the parking lot of Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello.
During the tense standoff, all entrances into PMC’s parking lot were blocked by law enforcement officers and the hospital went into lockdown, meaning no one could enter or leave.
Eventually, the man surrendered to police negotiators by putting down his firearm and exiting his vehicle with his hands up.
Though Sunday’s incident ended peacefully with no shots fired and no injuries, it raises the question of whether security guards at hospitals should be armed.
Since the Valentine’s Day mass shooting that left 17 dead at a high school in Florida, a similar debate has re-emerged across the country over whether teachers in schools should be armed.
Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen said that the number of issues his agency has had at Portneuf Medical Center would not justify adding armed guards, though he said ultimately that would be the hospital’s decision.
“An armed guard doesn’t always make the best type of security,” Nielsen said.
None of the security personnel at PMC are armed with firearms, tasers or batons. The personnel is employed through an independent contractor called HSS Inc.
“They train extensively for what we would call de-escalation,” said Todd Blackinton, spokesperson for PMC. “So if there’s a situation that’s difficult, then they’re regularly trained on how to calm nerves and de-escalate situations.”
However, Portneuf Medical Center goes through a drill called Code Silver, which prepares the staff for an active shooter situation.
“It involves sheltering in place, evacuation if it’s safe to do so and shutting doors and closing windows,” Blackinton said.
During Sunday’s incident, Blackinton said PMC secured the hospital by locking the doors and preventing people from coming in. However, emergency patients were still being admitted through the north entrance, but they had to enter the facility by police escort.
“Then really we waited and tried to support the police, but it was ultimately their situation,” Blackinton said. “We were just worried about what was happening inside the walls of the hospital.”
In comparison to PMC’s policies regarding armed guards, the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center goes through the Idaho Falls Fraternal Order of Police for security, which consists of armed off-duty police officers.
“The value of this partnership is that it allows our caregivers to handle their jobs better, which is to provide good quality medicine,” Coleen Niemann, spokesperson for EIRMC, said. “When they’re in a safe environment, when patients are safer, and when family members, guests and employees are safer then our caregivers can focus on what they truly do best.”
Sunday’s incident at PMC began to unfold at approximately 7:20 p.m. when the man dialed 911 and told police that he was armed in PMC’s parking lot in Pocatello and was going to hurt himself. The man was alone in his vehicle.
After he refused to surrender, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene to assist Pocatello police, including the Chubbuck Police Department, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office and the Idaho State Police. The Pocatello police SWAT team with an armored vehicle were also deployed.
The standoff ended at around 9:50 p.m. Sunday. After the man surrendered, officers took him into custody and he is receiving mental health treatment. Police said no charges will be filed against him. His name has not been released.
Overall, Blackinton said the hospital was pleased with how they dealt with the incident. Nielsen said that he felt the security guards at PMC handled the situation well and pointed out that law enforcement was there within minutes.
Blackinton also said that PMC will take into account everything that happened on Sunday, as well as the resources that were available, and determine if any improvements need to be made.
“Ultimately as the hospital in Bannock County and the place where people go when they have serious health needs, our concern for safety is paramount,” he said.
Idaho state journal
