By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

A double homicide suspect was recently arrested near Upstate Community Hospital, CNY Central reports. Huff had passed through the hospital’s weapons detection system earlier that morning and was tracked by University Police and Public Safety as a suspicious person.  

The man is accused of fatally shooting his 11-year-old son and 32-year-old girlfriend the night before, CNY Central reports. He was taken into custody and charged with three counts of murder and one count of criminal possession of a weapon. 

Two technologies can help detect and alert a healthcare facility to a person of interest: weapons detection systems and access controls. 

Related Content: Preventing Weapon-Related Violence in Healthcare

A weapons detection system was implemented in Community Health Network, which installed an AI-powered system in its hospitals in late 2023, according to a press release. The system alerts security personnel if it detects a potential weapon and pinpoints the location of the item on the person. 

A robust screening and credentialing process also is necessary to complement security technology, Doug Coppola, senior director of healthcare solutions for North America at LenelS2, told Healthcare Facilites Today. This process can include checking in with security personnel, checking individuals against watch lists, no-entry lists and VIP lists for special handling, and issuing visitor badges or credentials to be worn on site.   

“Knowing who and why individuals are in your facility is a key foundation of building security,” says Coppola. “By leveraging an access control solution, a healthcare facility can more effectively restrict access to only credentialed individuals who have permission to be onsite. This applies to employees of the facility and is extendable to contractors, visitors, or anyone else seeking to enter.” 

Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor of the facilities market.