Tasers, Pepper Spray, and Attack Dogs...Has hospital security gone TOO far?

BTW, I would hate to see pepper spray used in any enclosed area, as everyone there will get dosed.

The hospital I work at has recently updated its security department. Newest to the line of defense is the use of Tasers. I am spilt on this issue. Tasers used on aggressive visitors (and Management, lol) I support. Not on the use of patients.
What is you opinion?

Count me firmly among the fence riders on this one. Guess it depends a lot on location. It would be serious overkill at my facility, but in areas with a higher incidence of violent crime, I can imagine how it might be needed. But I think you'd want officers to be highly trained, with a lot of discipline.

I've seen a few instances at my facility where I thought one or another security officer had too much of a "law enforcement" mentality. I was an unlicensed sitter with a patient having a psychiatric crisis who bolted several times. I was grateful to have security help me bring him back, but one officer made some comments to the patient that I found inappropriate. At the time, I wasn't sure how to react, but as a nurse, I would feel bound to correct the officer. I wish I had said something at the time. Still, it was, at worst, verbal abuse, and I wouldn't even really call it that. Just untherapeutic.

Still, there have been times I have personally called security to assist with an agressive patient and asked that they send 3-4 guys. As much as I prefer to talk a patient down, there are times when overwhelming force is safer for all concerned--especially the patient himself. The last thing you want is a fair fight. No fight at all is best, but short and decisive is the best ending when physical force can't be avoided.

So...tasers, huh? Sounds extreme, but there are environments where people come in with guns or knives. Which raises the worry that an officer with a taser might feel too brave. In the particular case I'm thinking of where three guards, another male nurse, and I, put a patient in bed and tied him down, no one was at much risk. If they had sent one officer with a taser, it could have gotten ugly. And I'd hate to be the one asking an officer with a taser take on an assailant with a gun. Seems like in that instance, it would be more prudent to get the innocent people out of harm's way and let the actual police handle the gunman.

In short, I don't know. I guess it depends a lot on the situation. And the officer. Most of the ones where I work seem to understand why they are there.

Thanks for the input Mike. I think you have a fundamental misunderstanding of all things security though. Allow me to elaborate:

First, I agree completely that some security officers have too much of a LEO mentality. Keep in mind, however, that these are men and women that often face the same threats as LE without any weapons to defend themselves with. And they have families too. If they seem hard, on edge, or pinging a little, its probably for good reason.

Regarding tasers: Perhaps no tool in the security/law enforcement world is subject to more misconceptions, falsehoods, and general speculation than the taser. It is a high-profile too, no doubt, and it is supremely effective in its intended role. The perception, somehow, is that one officer with a taser, who tases a patient, is somehow more dangerous than four officers going into a melee with the same patient. I can tell you from personal experience that there is not a lot of order involved when 4, 5, or 6 security officers enter a room to take down a patient. The objective is control, and quickly, which can unfortunately translate into some kind of injury. The addition of drugs and alcohol in the patient's system only exacerbate the underlying cause.

Essentially, one officer with a taser, in my humble opinion, is preferable to four going hands-on with an individual. Further, tasers have been around long enough that the average street thug knows (and fears) them. The red dot, in most instances, is enough to put somebody back in bed, thus avoiding any incident at all.

Finally...if you are working the ER and some psychotic individual walks in with a gun, will you wish your security staff had tasers? At least? I know I would. Don't be a hero and try to talk that guy down. If he has lost it enough to walk into a hospital with the intent to kill, let the trained security staff respond with the appropriate tools and do work.

The hospital I work at has recently updated its security department. Newest to the line of defense is the use of Tasers. I am spilt on this issue. Tasers used on aggressive visitors (and Management, lol) I support. Not on the use of patients.
What is you opinion?

I have always found it disgusting that banks have better security than we do, and I vehemently agree that retired old cops aren't going to cut it. People are allowed to get away with too much, and nurses are not safe or respected. Awww are you suffering "mental anguish" because a big burly guy yelled at and restrained you after you slapped a nurse? Tough cookies, if you can't pay the time, don't do the crime.

The hospital I work at has recently updated its security department. Newest to the line of defense is the use of Tasers. I am spilt on this issue. Tasers used on aggressive visitors (and Management, lol) I support. Not on the use of patients.
What is you opinion?