SEATTLE – Swedish Medical Center officials have decided to let hospital security guards carry Tasers to help handle unruly people.
Hospital officials deliberated for a year on whether to allow security officers to carry a weapon. Eventually, they decided on Tasers, as the best, less-lethal option when compared to batons and pepper spray, The News Tribune reports.
As many as 70 security officers at six of the medical center’s seven campuses have been trained on how to properly use Tasers. Security officers at SMC’s Edmonds campus will not carry the less-lethal weapons, as they are managed by a private firm.
Hospital administrators maintain that the Tasers will be used as a security tool to maintain a safe environment and will never be used on a patient.
