Two security guards at a Brooklyn hospital have been arrested for allegedly blocking NYPD officers from entering a psych ward to help a colleague in distress. The incident occurred early Monday morning when an officer called for assistance after their colleague needed medical attention.
According to sources, one of the security guards, Kadeem Alfred, 32, refused to open the doors for the police despite their attempts to enter the ward. This delay potentially put the patient's life at risk, highlighting concerns over hospital staff and law enforcement working together in emergency situations.
Alfred and another guard, Michael Kee, 53, have since been charged with obstruction of governmental administration. Both were released after being given desk appearance tickets to appear in court later. The NYPD has called for hospitals to make changes to ensure officers receive timely assistance when needed.
Hospital officials have stated that they value their partnerships with law enforcement and take incidents like this seriously. However, the recent incident involving a team of detectives mistakenly identified as federal ICE agents has raised concerns about hospital staff handling interactions with police.
The Kings County Hospital Center's psych ward is where Alfred was working at the time of the incident. Authorities have vowed to review the situation further and ensure hospitals maintain open lines of communication with law enforcement in emergencies.
According to sources, one of the security guards, Kadeem Alfred, 32, refused to open the doors for the police despite their attempts to enter the ward. This delay potentially put the patient's life at risk, highlighting concerns over hospital staff and law enforcement working together in emergency situations.
Alfred and another guard, Michael Kee, 53, have since been charged with obstruction of governmental administration. Both were released after being given desk appearance tickets to appear in court later. The NYPD has called for hospitals to make changes to ensure officers receive timely assistance when needed.
Hospital officials have stated that they value their partnerships with law enforcement and take incidents like this seriously. However, the recent incident involving a team of detectives mistakenly identified as federal ICE agents has raised concerns about hospital staff handling interactions with police.
The Kings County Hospital Center's psych ward is where Alfred was working at the time of the incident. Authorities have vowed to review the situation further and ensure hospitals maintain open lines of communication with law enforcement in emergencies.
This whole thing is crazy fam! I mean, think about it - these security guards were literally putting a patient's life at risk by blocking the doors for 10+ minutes! 
What if that officer was their brother or sister? Would they want someone to delay getting help for them in an emergency? 
The fact that Alfred and Kee got off with desk appearance tickets is just wild - it's like, come on guys, take responsibility for your actions! 
And now the NYPD is calling for changes at hospitals... maybe we'll finally see some real changes happen! 
hospitals and cops gotta work together, it's not rite when stuff like this happens 
and now the NYPD is all like "hospitals need to get their act together" 
i feel bad for the patient who had to deal with that stress 
The fact that the guards refused to let them in is not only unprofessional, but also puts people's lives at risk. I'm all for having protocols in place, but this seems like a case of overcautiousness gone wrong.
The NYPD is right to call for changes, though. Maybe hospitals need to rethink their security measures and prioritize getting help to those who need it quickly.
️. Hospitals need to get their act together 'n figure out how 2 keep the peace with law enforcement when emergencies pop up 
.
I mean, what's the harm in letting the police help a colleague in distress? It's just one weird incident, and now they're both out with desk appearance tickets... but at least they were just doing their jobs, right? 
Still, gotta ask, how can hospitals make sure officers get there ASAP when something like this goes down? Maybe some training or protocols to help prevent these situations in the future? 
and these 2 security guards just blocked them from doing so? that's not cool at all 
. i dont think it's fair that they're only getting desk appearance tickets tho, shouldn't they be in jail for putting a life at risk? 
. btw, have u guys seen that new movie with johnny depp? i heard its pretty good 
. Can't have patients lives put at risk because of some misunderstanding or protocol. I hope they review this situation thoroughly and figure out a better way to handle these kinds of situations in the future 
. I'm not sayin' the cops are perfect or nothin', but sometimes hospitals have got some explainin' to do too 
.
. I hope they get some serious time for this... 3 seconds of hesitation can cost lives 
.
. I get why they're trying to protect their colleagues, but hospitals need to make sure they work with the cops too, especially in emergencies like this.
. Like, those detectives being mistaken for ICE agents? That's a huge problem and needs to be solved ASAP 
. I'm glad the NYPD is calling for hospitals to make changes, but it's also on them to step up their game.
. We need better communication and trust between these two groups so we can keep our communities safe 
.
.
. We need to make sure that hospitals and law enforcement can work together seamlessly in emergencies, but we also need to address any underlying issues that might be contributing to these kinds of incidents 
. Let's hope we can come out of this with some positive changes and improved communication 
. Anyway, back to this incident... I think the NYPD has a point about needing those lines of communication to be open, especially in emergency situations. You don't wanna have to deal with something like this where someone's life is at risk because of a mix-up.
. One guy's distress call went unanswered because of some beef 
! Two guards arrested, big deal