Targeted

I'm not sure what to make of the security personnel at my hospital walking around with loaded handguns.

If we were an inner city hospital on the wrong side of the tracks, that's one thing. But my hospital is in the suburbs of New Orleans. Sure, it's not in the nicest part, but I've never even entertained the need to look over my shoulder when walking to my car at whatever crazy hours of the night I happen to be working. Even after the hurricanes.

If hospitals operated like bars and served alcohol, increasing the chances of a fight breaking out or if hospitals were a hot hangout for biker gangs, that's one thing. The worse I've really seen things get is when some patient goes psychotic. And a bullet is probably the last thing we need in that situation.

Sure, if a gang of drug seeking suicidal maniacs attack our hospital I'll be glad that we have armed security guards, but how often does that occur? It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep the guns locked up and distribute them as needed.

It's almost comical how our security guards are dressed in black from head to toe, with combat boots and army pants. It's as if we've got a SWAT team running around the hospital facilities. And of the 8 or so that I see on a daily basis, only 2 are of the physique that would induce any physical intimidation. Several of them are severely overweight. One of them definitely gets senior citizen discounts. One of them is perhaps 5 feet tall, with the boots on. And one of them, the one that inspired this post, doesn't look like he would hesitate to shoot.

I'm not sure who we're scared of and what mayhem our security personnel are preparing for.

Hell, we don't even have any homeless people hanging around.