Policy Text
Revisions or additions are highlighted 1 (03/10 2023 ) ST. PETERSBURG POLICE DEPARTMENT
GENERAL ORDER
Subject: HOSPITAL PROCEDURES
Index as: Emergency Medical Care Provider Hospital Emergency Room Procedures
Emergency Room Procedures Hospitalized Detainees, Guarding of
Guarding of Detainees at the Hospital Prisoners, Guarding while Confined to Hospital
Accreditation Standards: 44.2.2 , 70.3.2
Cross Reference: G.O. III -10, Transporting and Booking Detainee
§784.07(1)(a) and ( 2)(b) , F.S.S.
Replaces: G.O. III -20, Hospital Procedures _Interim Change_Chief’s Memo 19 -013 ( June 7 , 2019)
This Order establishes policy for the continuation of ongoing investigations in hospital emergency rooms and the guarding
of detainees confined to a hospita l prior to transfer to the Pinellas County Jail or arraignment. It consists of the following
sections:
I. Policy
II. Definitions
III. Trauma Area Procedures
IV. Battery on Emergency Medical Care Provider
V. Guarding Hospitalized Detainees
VI. Visitor Procedures
VII. Hospitalized Juveniles
I. POLICY
A. Police Officers will not allow their investigative responsibilities to hinder emergency room personnel who are
performing their medical duties. However, if there is an IMMEDIATE investigative need and it does not interfer e with the
treatment, the Officer may talk with the patient/detainee. These procedures are applicable to anyone in police custody,
whether they are under arrest or not.
B. Detainees who are hospitalized before their arraignment, and not yet in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office, will be
kept under guard in a manner which affords security for the hospital, its staff, and other patients. Consistent with good
security, detaine es will be provided with minimal visitation benefits.
II. DEFINITIONS
A. Emergency Medical Care Provider – A physician, employee, agent, or volunteer of the hospital, who is employed,
under contract, or otherwise authorized by the hospital to perform duties directly associated with the care and treatment
rendered by the hospital’s emergency department , includin g the hospital’s emergency behavioral health department .
DATE OF
ISSUE EFFECTIVE DATE NUMBER
August 2017 Immediately III-20
Distribution: All Employees
General Order III -20
Revisions or additions are highlighted 2 (03/10 /2023 ) III. TRAUMA AREA PROCEDURES
A. Bayfront Health - St. Petersburg
1. When entering the emergency room, the Officer will use the trauma area entrance, bypassing the waiting area
and going directly to the nurse’s station. The detainee will be assigned to a room as soon as possible by the hospital staff.
2. The detainee’s admitting data will be completed in the assigned room. If a room is not immediately available,
the Officer will be directed by emergency room personnel to take the detainee to an area in the emergency room other than
the waiting room.
3. Except for emergency situations, there will be no more than two (2) Officers with each detainee in the trauma
room.
4. Should it become necessary for Officers to confer away from the detainee, one Officer (or two if necessary),
will be left to guard the detainee, while the other Officers confer outside of the trauma room. Emergency room personnel
will provide the Officers with a place for the conference.
B. St. Anthony’s Hospital - St. Petersburg
1. When an Officer transports a person to St. Anthony’s hospital for medical treatment, they will bring the person
through a marked EMS Entrance only.
2. If the person is not a detainee, the Officer will hand the person off to a doctor or nurse before leaving.
3. If the person is a detainee, they will be assigned to a room as soon as possible by the hospital staff.
4. The detainee’s admitting data will be completed in the assigned room. If a room is not immediately available,
the Officer will be directed by emergency room personnel to take the detainee to an area in the emergency room other than
the waiting room.
5. Except for emergency situations, there will be no more than two (2) Officers with each detainee in the trauma
room.
6. Should it become necessary for Officers to confer away from the detainee, one Officer (or two if necessary),
will be left to guard the detainee, while the other Officers confer outsi de of the trauma room. Emergency room personnel
will provide the Officers with a place for the conference.
C. Emergency Rooms, Other Area Hospitals
1. The Officer should make every effort to accommodate the procedures of other area hospitals to maintain a
professional working relationship with each of those institutions.
2. The Officer should not congregate in areas that will hamper emerg ency room operations, such as hallways,
treatment rooms, or admission desks, etc.
IV. BATTERY ON EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE PROVIDER
A. When a person who is receiving medical care at a hospital or other medical facility commits a felony battery, the
Officer will make a physical arrest and transport the defendant to the jail when the Officer confirms that all of the following
conditions are present:
1. There is probable cause for the arrest;
2. The victim desires to prosecute;
3. The treating doctor “medically clears” the defendant; and
4. The treating medical professional provides the defendant with completed “discharge instructions.”
General Order III -20
Revisions