Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C., plans to cut the number of sworn police officers at the hospital by more than half and switch to more public safety officers. The security guards will be unarmed and cannot make arrests, according to an article on the WITN website.
Vidant said after the July 1st change, the hospital will have 17 sworn officers. According to Vidant, their officers spend most of their time responding to public safety calls for vehicle lock-outs, escorts and tire-changing assistance.
Public safety officers do not need state certification, but the hospital said their officers do receive special training to ensure competency, according to the article.
Vidant said the change is being done to better use their resources and not a way to save money.
Read the article.
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