CS: How do you meet those challenges?
Hickey: Technology has allowed for growth without large additions in personnel. Every time we add a new structure, we cannot afford to add more officers to the mix. So technology helps us cover the ground without having to always add personnel. One example is a recently installed video and alarm monitoring system in which all the pieces are integrated rather than parts of separate systems.

CS: As the campus has grown, is there anything you would have done differently?
Hickey: The thorniest thing that both Public Safety Manager Lee Matthews and myself have had to deal with is the explosion in parking needs. We simply cannot build parking fast enough to accommodate our growth. From my standpoint, that’s been the hardest thing. Deferring parking commitments, which we’ve done in the past, was a mistake, and we’ve remedied that by building the parking before we need it and then building the structure that will fill that parking.

CS: How do you train the 26 nonsworn, unarmed civilians who work in the Public Safety Department?
Hickey: We expect a lot from our staff. Each officer is required to complete the 40-hour International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety [IAHSS] basic officer course, which includes a written certification exam. Every one of our officers is IAHSS certified. I don’t believe there are many hospitals where the staff is 100-percent IAHSS certified.
We also work closely with the community on preparedness and training issues. For instance, 71 leaders from the city of Naperville, including myself, spent a week in Maryland to train at FEMA’s National Emergency Training Center. We were evaluated on how we dealt with full-blown disasters such as tornados, floods and acts of terrorism.

CS: What kind of return on investment do you see from staff training?Hickey: I know of other hospitals where the security department functions essentially as an independent entity with little or no integration into the hospital or the community. At Edward, all of the members of our department are trained in customer-relations skills so that they understand the needs of their ‘customers.’
We encourage our staff to interact with patients and staff because it allows us to be proactive. For example, if we see someone who appears lost, we will approach the person and ask him or her if they need assistance. If the person is truly disoriented or lost, we’ve provided good customer service. If the person is up to something – especially in the backstage areas – we find that out by approaching them.

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