How MLKCH Transitioned to an In-House Public Safety Department
When employees at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital voiced frustration with contract security, CS Healthcare Director of the Year Mark Reed took matters into his own hands.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, located in South Los Angeles, is a private, nonprofit general acute care hospital serving 1.35 million residents.
NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Identified security needs related to infant abduction; conducted training and quarterly drills and secured the entire department with an access control system
- Bolstered the emergency management program by implementing a committee to improve disaster response capabilities
- Took a failing disaster program and turned it around by leveraging Hospital Preparedness Program grant funding
- Created a hospital decontamination team with involvement from numerous hospital departments
ADDITIONAL ACCOLADES
MLKCH employees receive certified mass casualty decontamination team training by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Agency.
- Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University and is pursuing Master’s Business Administration through Western Governors University
- Certified in Homeland Security from Arizona State
- Certified as a Healthcare Protection Administrator through IAHHS
- Certified as a Terrorism Liaison Officer (TLO) through the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center
- Volunteer leader and currently Vice-Chair with ASIS and has held various leadership positions for the Greater Los Angeles Chapter
- Current member of the Hospital Association of Southern California’s (HASC) Safety and Security Committee
- Volunteers with IAHSS and was an instructor for a Basic Officer Certification Course hosted at Pomona Valley Hospital in partnership with IAHSS and HASC
- Featured speaker at Axis Communication Healthcare Symposium regarding workplace violence
- Sits on the Advisory Board for the Rutgers University Customer Experience Certificate Program
This article was originally published in November 2019.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Amy Rock, Executive Editor
Amy is Campus Safety’s Executive Editor. Prior to joining the editorial team in 2017, she worked in both events and digital marketing.
Amy has many close relatives and friends who are teachers, motivating her to learn and share as much as she can about campus security. She has a minor in education and has worked with children in several capacities, further deepening her passion for keeping students safe.
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
Security Department top notch. Sharp, efficient. Setting the standard
Leading the way.
Sam and his team outstanding
Angel and Jack….best of the best
I hear the grave yard shift is top notch guys, former LEOs and Military personnel
It’s great to work here. Very challenging, and I meet friends every day.
I worked the Main Lobby starting with day shift, and it was very hard working there. I couldn’t grasp on how to use the computers. But I learned it like my ABC’s.