Two hospital security guards were arrested early Monday after allegedly preventing New York City police officers from entering a psychiatric ward at a Brooklyn hospital where an officer had called for assistance, according to law enforcement sources, as reported by The New York Post.
The incident occurred around 4:50 a.m. Monday at Kings County Hospital Center in Brooklyn. Sources said an NYPD officer was assigned to supervise a prisoner who was receiving psychiatric treatment inside the hospital’s psych ward.
During that assignment, the officer requested help from fellow NYPD personnel.
Warning: Account balances and purchasing power no longer tell the same story. Know in 2 minutes if your retirement is working for you.
When additional officers arrived, they were reportedly denied immediate access to the ward.
According to sources, Kadeem Alfred, 32, a security guard working for a private company assigned to the ward, refused to open the doors to allow the officers inside.
Alfred allegedly told responding officers that they could not enter the unit until he received approval from his supervisor, Michael Kee, 53, sources said.
The delay continued until officers were eventually allowed access to the ward.
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
Once inside, police confirmed that the officer who had requested assistance was not injured and did not require further medical intervention, according to sources familiar with the incident.
Following the incident, police took enforcement action against hospital security staff.
Alfred was arrested on charges of obstruction of governmental administration, a misdemeanor offense typically filed when an individual is accused of interfering with police officers performing their official duties.
Sources said Kee was also arrested after allegedly attempting to interfere with Alfred’s arrest.
Both Alfred and Kee were issued desk appearance tickets and are expected to appear in court at a later date, authorities said.
The incident drew swift reaction from the Police Benevolent Association, which represents NYPD officers.
PBA President Patrick Hendry called on city hospitals to implement changes to ensure officers are able to receive immediate assistance when requested.
“When a police officer calls for help, absolutely nothing should delay that help from getting there,” Hendry said in a statement.
“Hospital personnel need to understand that and should make changes to ensure that this scenario doesn’t happen again.”
NYC Health + Hospitals, which oversees Kings County Hospital Center, responded with its own statement emphasizing cooperation with law enforcement.
“NYC Health + Hospitals prides itself on its high-quality care and exceptional staff,” spokesperson Christopher Miller said.
“Every day our hospitals work closely with the members of the NYPD in service to our patients and the communities we serve.”
The arrest comes less than two weeks after another high-profile incident involving NYPD officers at a city hospital.
In that case, the NYPD said a group of detectives was “disrespected” at NYU Langone/Cobble Hill after hospital staff allegedly mistook them for federal ICE agents.
At the time, an NYPD spokesperson said the department was unhappy with how the officers were treated and would review the incident.
NYU Langone later said hospital officials spoke with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and “expressed our regret for how the situation was handled.”
The Kings County Hospital incident remains under review as the case moves forward in court.
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.
Read the full article here
