Milwaukee police union threatens charges after hospital turns away armed officer

Recent news stories have made the public aware of the challenges our police officers often face when staff at Froedtert & Medical College of Wisconsin Health Network locations refuse to provide medical care to police until they remove their firearm. It should go without saying that police officers deserve to be treated with dignity, just like everyone else who seeks medical treatment. But clearly we need to say it.

Criminal activity, violent behavior, and dangerous situations don’t stop at the doors of a hospital. Police officers carry firearms because their job demands that they be prepared for anything — at any moment. It's about duty, safety, and the reality that, when they wear the uniform and badge, they face threats others don’t. It’s about preparedness, and the unfortunate realities of the job. Police officers are often targeted by individuals who wish to do harm to law enforcement, whether it's retaliation, anti-police sentiment, or a desire to commit a crime without intervention, the uniform alone can make someone a target.

We call on Froedtert – and all area health systems – to know and better understand their policies when it comes to police officers carrying their firearms. Police officers carry firearms in sensitive locations not because they want to ignore rules, but because their job requires them to be prepared for danger — even in places where danger is unexpected.

In addition to being refused treatment until they disarm, we have recently learned of unacceptable encounters where officers have received resistance from hospital staff in the course of their lawful police investigations.

When police officers are executing a warrant, gathering time-sensitive evidence, or interviewing victims, suspects, or witnesses — especially in the context of violent crime — we are doing so to preserve the integrity of the case and protect public safety. Whether it's obstructing access to a patients, impeding the collection of physical evidence even with a warrant (such as clothing, blood samples, or other forensic material), or refusing to provide identifying information related to a criminal act – it is clear that staff at Froedtert facilities have routinely made the jobs of police officers more difficult or even impossible. This abuse of police officers in the hospital setting must end now.

In the event that this reprehensible conduct continues, we are calling on our colleagues in law enforcement to pursue Obstruction charges against any Froedtert staff who interfere with a police officer in the course of conducting lawful investigations. It's essential to understand that when police officers are conducting a lawful investigation — especially involving evidence collection related to a crime — interference by hospital personnel is not only inappropriate, it also is unlawful.