CERRITOS, Calif. — Anyone who works in hospitals is well aware of the fact that workplace violence and other safety and security issues are growing, pervasive problems in healthcare. However, most hospital security incidents and other emergencies that officers respond to don’t get much… if any… attention from the general public or the media.
Wednesday’s International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) Southern California Chapter’s 2024 Security Officer of the Year Awards ceremony sought to rectify this oversight. Held at the Sheraton Cerritos Hotel, the event honored 38 hospital security officers from facilties in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino counties in Southern California.
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The ceremony, now in its 11th year, highlighted the hospital security and/or safety emergencies that these unsung heroes responded to over the past year, often at great risk to their own lives.
Seven Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center security department staff members – Sgt. Matthew Watford, Cpl. Jarret Rodriguez, Officer Jonathan Liera, Officer Andres Perez, Officer Noel Baza, Officer Miguel Rodriguez, and Dispatcher Cynthia Cahill — received the Security Officer of the Year Award for extracting two occupants of a vehicle that burst into flames after it struck a building on campus at a high rate of speed. Both of the victims survived due to the officers’ quick actions.
Additionally, the officers used several fire extinguishers to put out the fire eight minutes before the local fire department arrived at the scene.
Wide Variety of Emergencies Successfully Handled by Hospital Security Staff
Other emergencies that were successfully handled by award recipients included:
- A person with a firearm who shot into a security vehicle 10 times
- A person experiencing a fentanyl overdose
- A person experiencing a stroke
- Antisemitic threats
- A nurse being assaulted by a patient
- Suicide attempt
- An active police pursuit that came onto campus
- Identifying and detaining a suspect wanted by local law enforcement
- An employee experiencing heat exhaustion
- Identifying and mitigating a major water leak
- A patient threatening self-harm with a knife
- Persons carrying guns
- Locating an elderly patient
- Customer service
- And more
The efforts of these officers are truly exceptional. Read more about them in our photo gallery.
Do you know a hospital, school, or university campus security or public safety officer who should be recognized for their efforts? Send a description of their achievements, along with their photo to [email protected].
