Reducing hospital parking area crime: strategies that work

For hospitals, crime in parking garages and lots--ranging from assaults and murder to car theft and car break-ins--is reported second only to Emergency Department areas in the number of incidents. And, in recent reviews of lawsuits against hospitals for negligent or inadequate security, parking areas rank first in incidents that generate such actions. In our most recent special report on dealing with hospital parking area crime (see the June 1997 issue), we focused on the use of camera surveillance and improved lighting to reduce such crime. In this report, which will also cover recent developments in those strategies, we will focus on two Omaha, NE, hospitals which stress deployment of manpower and education of employees to achieve results.