How long have you been in charge of security and what are your
duties?
I’ve been in charge since early 2009 and before that, I was a security officer
here since about 1987. I oversee a 12-person security department, and am in
charge of ensuring safety and security, both inside and out, which encompasses
scheduling, investigating thefts and other low-level crime, personal contact
with patients, as well as performing risk assessments.
What’s the layout of the facility?
We’ve got about 1.34 million square feet of space spread over seven floors and
two buildings, including our main building, where most patient care takes place,
and a new building, a women and children’s hospital, which opened in September
2009.
Can you describe a typical patrol?
Outside, my officers are responsible for mobile patrols in all parking lots and
structures, rendering assistance and enforcement on handicapped and fire lane
parking, and patrolling associate parking. Mainly we handle vehicle vandalism
and break-ins. That takes them between 20 to 40 minutes, depending on what they
have to deal with. Interior, they’re checking patient floors and high-security
areas. That averages 30 to 40 minutes. And the new building takes about 15
minutes.
What are your most common security issues?
Interior, the thing we deal with most is patient and visitor slips and falls. We
have an occasional burglary, vandalism or theft, which can be an associate’s
purse being stolen or something like that. We’ll have an occasional assault or
dispute, but, thankfully, never anything like homicides or kidnappings in the
entire time I’ve been here. We do, however, face some unusual security issues.
For instance, after receiving a government warning that nitrous oxide bottles
had been stolen from California hospitals, we beefed up security on a room that
contained 24 bottles. Instead of trusting an officer to open the door and look
in, we installed a button so they have to open the door, read the button, count
the bottles and log the number on their report.
When did you get the Guard1 Plus system?
We got it in about 2002, prior to which we had been using the honor system, which wasn’t working out well.
Officers would write down that they were making rounds when they were not. They weren’t tracking their time in each parking lot,
and some lots weren’t being patrolled at all. Bottom line: our security was in need of improvement.
Has GUARD1 PLUS system? helped you improve security?
No question. All told, we’ve got some 45 buttons and there’s no doubt we’re a more secure place as a result. Inside, we’ve got about 30 buttons, and our officers must do between four and six rounds per 12-hour shift. We’ve got buttons at every “hot spot,” including ICU, the waiting room, pharmacy, pediatrics, ER, nursery, plus one button at each end of the patient floors. Outside, we have 16 buttons, including three in the garage, one per parking lot section, others in places we want to keep secure. And when they check parking lots, officers have to get out of the vehicle to record their visit, rather than do a quick drive-through. That improves security.
How do you use the reports?
I download the reports every 15 days to see how many officers clocked in, what areas they were supposed to check, and whether they performed their required rounds. If they did not, I’m able to check the report and see why they failed to complete the rounds.
How do your officers like the system?
I’d say they like it a lot. The PIPEs are easy to carry and durable—I’ve dropped them and they still worked. They appreciate it most because they don’t have to come in after a shift and write down their times in a log book. That means they can spend more time doing patrols—not doing paperwork. And because our officers don’t carry firearms, the PIPE has actually been an effective crime deterrent. People think it’s a new type of weapon, and think twice about starting trouble.
Has the system given you support against lawsuits?
On a number of occasions, an attorney said his client is going to sue us for negligence. After we tell him we’ve got verifiable proof that refutes the client’s allegations, several lawsuits have been dropped or not filed.
What have been the biggest benefits of the system?
Accountability, pure and simple. If someone calls up and says they didn’t see an officer the previous evening, we can check and see whether that could be true. Also, it lets us address situations that happen, such as if we’re suddenly having a rash of vehicle break-ins, we can adjust the timing pattern of our rounds to remove the predictability, which generally solves the problem. I also use the system to assess officer performance, and the officers appreciate the objectivity.
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