ON DUTY: Hospital Police www.privateofficer.com
LANCASTER OH Sept 23 2009
lancastereaglegazette.com– Ask a Fairfield Medical Center police officer how his squad car is different from that of a security guard, and you’ll want to take a seat.
The nine-man police force at FMC gets its share of exciting moments, whether they happen in the hospital, in the city of Lancaster or other jurisdictions such as Amanda, Bremen and Millersport, where other FMC offices are located.
They also are prepared to respond to whatever is thrown at them.
All officers at FMC have completed Ohio peace officer training and carry firearms, Tasers and pepper spray like all other law enforcement agencies. They can make arrests, unlike at most hospitals that employ security guards who can only detain suspects.
“If something were to happen here right now, today, we can make an arrest, we can process them through the system, and we can take them to jail,” FMC Police Chief Steve Anderson said.
One of the most recent arrests came in June, when an FMC employee walked into the hospital with a gun and the intention of confronting an employee.
Officer Terry Swinehart, who made the arrest, said 35-year-old Chester Henson first searched for the female employee at her home, then arrived to the hospital to look for her June 12. Swinehart knew he could expect a visit from Henson, having just talked to the female employee’s husband, who called FMC about Henson’s arrival to the couple’s home.
Swinehart warned the employee’s department of the possible situation and soon got word Henson was in the second-floor laundry room. Swinehart climbed the back stairwell and approached Henson from behind. He lightly grabbed him by the arm and tried to coax Henson to walk down the steps and talk about why he came.
“We got about halfway down the hall, and that’s when he reached into his belt and pulled out a gun,” Swinehart said.
Until that moment, no one knew the man was armed.
“As a police officer, in the back of your mind you always think there is a possibility they could have a weapon, but there were other employees there, and I just wanted to get him out of that area.”
Henson then pointed the gun toward the female employee.
“He acted; I reacted. I just went over his back and grabbed the gun and was able to get my hand on top of the hammer as he was pulling the trigger,” Swinehart said.
The two struggled with the gun until Swinehart wrestled it away from Henson.
He said he’s never been in that kind of situation with a suspect in his 20-plus years in law enforcement.
Nevertheless, he has to be prepared for it.
That incident, he said, has made FMC police stand out better at the hospital.
“Since this incident came about, people are a little more aware that we actually have a real, bona fide police department under our roof, which is really key.”
FMC police also act as backup for other agencies, such as the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and Lancaster Police Department.
FMC Officer Larry Mitchell in March arrested a suspect who attempted to steal scrap metal from Fabricated Packaging on Commerce Street. He followed two suspects on a chase through the woods before capturing one.
Lancaster police followed and made the second arrest.
Other emergency situations include one suspect who was drunk and climbed to the top of the parking garage and threatened to jump off, and another who also was drunk and tried to kick in a second-story window after climbing up the loading dock.
The squad also does vehicle jump-starts and lockouts, as well as picking up staff in their two 4-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles when they can’t make it into the hospital in the winter.
Three members of the FMC force are trained in Special Weapons and Tactics, two in hostage negotiations, two in firearms instruction and two in Taser instruction, he said.
Anderson punctuated that list with, “So, that’s how we’re different from security.”
lancastereaglegazette.com– Ask a Fairfield Medical Center police officer how his squad car is different from that of a security guard, and you’ll want to take a seat.
The nine-man police force at FMC gets its share of exciting moments, whether they happen in the hospital, in the city of Lancaster or other jurisdictions such as Amanda, Bremen and Millersport, where other FMC offices are located.
They also are prepared to respond to whatever is thrown at them.
All officers at FMC have completed Ohio peace officer training and carry firearms, Tasers and pepper spray like all other law enforcement agencies. They can make arrests, unlike at most hospitals that employ security guards who can only detain suspects.
“If something were to happen here right now, today, we can make an arrest, we can process them through the system, and we can take them to jail,” FMC Police Chief Steve Anderson said.
One of the most recent arrests came in June, when an FMC employee walked into the hospital with a gun and the intention of confronting an employee.
Officer Terry Swinehart, who made the arrest, said 35-year-old Chester Henson first searched for the female employee at her home, then arrived to the hospital to look for her June 12. Swinehart knew he could expect a visit from Henson, having just talked to the female employee’s husband, who called FMC about Henson’s arrival to the couple’s home.
Swinehart warned the employee’s department of the possible situation and soon got word Henson was in the second-floor laundry room. Swinehart climbed the back stairwell and approached Henson from behind. He lightly grabbed him by the arm and tried to coax Henson to walk down the steps and talk about why he came.
“We got about halfway down the hall, and that’s when he reached into his belt and pulled out a gun,” Swinehart said.
Until that moment, no one knew the man was armed.
“As a police officer, in the back of your mind you always think there is a possibility they could have a weapon, but there were other employees there, and I just wanted to get him out of that area.”
Henson then pointed the gun toward the female employee.
“He acted; I reacted. I just went over his back and grabbed the gun and was able to get my hand on top of the hammer as he was pulling the trigger,” Swinehart said.
The two struggled with the gun until Swinehart wrestled it away from Henson.
He said he’s never been in that kind of situation with a suspect in his 20-plus years in law enforcement.
Nevertheless, he has to be prepared for it.
That incident, he said, has made FMC police stand out better at the hospital.
“Since this incident came about, people are a little more aware that we actually have a real, bona fide police department under our roof, which is really key.”
FMC police also act as backup for other agencies, such as the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Office and Lancaster Police Department.
FMC Officer Larry Mitchell in March arrested a suspect who attempted to steal scrap metal from Fabricated Packaging on Commerce Street. He followed two suspects on a chase through the woods before capturing one.
Lancaster police followed and made the second arrest.
Other emergency situations include one suspect who was drunk and climbed to the top of the parking garage and threatened to jump off, and another who also was drunk and tried to kick in a second-story window after climbing up the loading dock.
The squad also does vehicle jump-starts and lockouts, as well as picking up staff in their two 4-wheel-drive sport utility vehicles when they can’t make it into the hospital in the winter.
Three members of the FMC force are trained in Special Weapons and Tactics, two in hostage negotiations, two in firearms instruction and two in Taser instruction, he said.
Anderson punctuated that list with, “So, that’s how we’re different from security.”
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