Higher potential penalties for assaults on hospital security officers held over by committee

If you assault a firefighter, EMS worker, doctor, nurse or any other health care worker in a hospital’s emergency department, you face higher criminal penalties. And if the assault “inflicts demonstrable bodily harm” that’s a felony.

Rep. Bidal Duran (R-Bemidji) wants to add “a security officer providing services in a hospital or clinic” to that list of professions warranting tougher penalties.

Rep. Bidal Duran

He’s doing so through HF3504, which was laid over Wednesday by the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee.

“This has been an ongoing issue within our hospitals everywhere,” he said.

Security officers are on the front lines when it comes to keeping people safe in hospitals and other health care settings, Duran said, often risking their lives by stepping up in dangerous situations before first responders arrive on the scene.

A security guard died in December at the M Health Fairview Lakes Hospital in Wyoming, Minn., after physically engaging with a man who left the emergency room despite a medical hold.

Trying to intervene, 43-year-old Andrea Jean Merrell suffered severe head trauma and the man was charged with murder.

“Hospital security officers play a vital role by addressing aggressive behavior, stepping in during assaults, calming individuals in crisis and ensuring the safety of patients, visitors and staff,” said Donovan Michael Comer-Hudkins, who said he works in security at a hospital in northern Minnesota.

“Workplace violence has become more common in health care settings, especially in the emergency departments and behavioral health units,” he said. “Those who ensure safety deserve effective legal protection.”