A Kentucky lawmaker has proposed a bill that would allow private hospitals to establish their own police departments – a move he argues would help reduce violence against healthcare workers.
Kentucky passed a law in 2024 that makes assaulting a healthcare facility worker a Class D felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Now, a Kentucky lawmaker is proposing a bill to further curb violence in healthcare facilities through creating private hospital police departments.
The bill's sponsor, Republican Rep. Wade Williams of Madisonville, argues House Bill 248 is a needed step to help improve the safety of doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers.
“We've done some different laws on how we can increase penalties and some other things. But we still lack the ability to enforce some of the laws quickly…. without having to wait for police arrival,” Williams said.
Williams said the creation of these independent police departments would be at the expense of the healthcare facilities, which would also be in charge of hiring and training police officers.
Unlike typical security guards, these officers would have the same authority as public officers, such as the ability to carry firearms and to make arrests. The bill stipulates that those hospital officers would have to meet the same training requirements as officers with local and state agencies.
Georgia passed similar laws in 2023 allowing hospitals to create internal police forces. Although some healthcare workers said the increased police presence reduced violent on-the-job altercations, some providers in the Peach State said they had concerns about the privatization of law enforcement, including potential lack of oversight by hospitals, as well as police officers’ presence affecting patient experiences.
While Williams said he is aware of arguments some may make against privatized police forces, he thinks some of the bill’s stipulations, including training requirements for offices, would ease some of these concerns.
Williams, who served as Madisonville’s police chief prior to being elected to the state legislature, said he thinks the presence of dedicated law enforcement would have a positive impact on healthcare facilities and their patients.
“Hospitals are kind of unique. They're public facing facilities… they're emotionally charged. There's a lot of stuff going on, and to protect our healthcare workforce, it just makes sense to have somebody on site who knows the system,” Williams said.
HB 248 has been assigned to the state House Judiciary committee. The bill needs to gain approval from this committee before it could be voted on by the full state House.
