Home

  • Home
    • » e-Newsletters

Controversy in San Francisco about proposed change in hospital security

Healthcare Security Weekly, July 14, 2008

A proposal to replace sheriff’s deputies and specially trained officers with private security guards at city hospitals in San Francisco is creating controversy.

Some hospital workers at San Francisco General told KTVU Channel 2 that the plan is raising safety concerns. Currently, sheriff’s deputies and so-called institutional police officers trained by the sheriff’s department provide security at San Francisco General Hospital and other public health facilities in the city.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has proposed replacing the current officers with private security guards to save money and deal with a budget deficit. Opponents say the plan to shift deputies to the county jails to deal with overcrowding there will compromise safety at the city’s hospitals, the TV station reported. The city’s Board of Supervisors still must vote on the proposal.

Most Popular