This is shocking. An emergency room nurse in Chicago was handcuffed and placed in a police car for 45 minutes because she did not give a DUI suspect a blood test. (watch video here) Lisa Hofstra was in charge in a very busy emergency room when a police officer brought a woman to the ER and demanded Hofstra perform a blood alcohol test on her. The nurse told the officer she would have to consult with her supervisor first, because hospital policy states that a person must be admitted as a patient before any medical tests can be performed. According to reports:
“Hofstra says the officer brought a suspected drunk driver into the ER and demanded a blood alcohol test for the woman.
Hofstra says she explained that it’s hospital protocol to first register a person as a patient before conducting a medical procedure. That’s when Hofstra says the officer became argumentative with both her and her supervisor. At one point, he had to be removed from the nurses station by security but he came back.
“He snucked up behind me grabbed my arms. I didn’t even realize what was happening. I just saw the faces of the people in front of me before I realized I was in handcuffs,” said Hofstra.” ABC 7 News
Hofstra plans on filing a civil lawsuit against the officer and the Chicago Police Department for alleged excessive force and false arrest.
This story is just so strange to me. In my experience nurses and cops get along great on the job. We are often in frequent professional contact with one another, especially in the ER. Our jobs can be very similar. We have to deal with the public at their worst; drunk, on drugs, after assaults, rapes, violence, domestic abuse, etc. We get each other and our selective gallows humor. I will admit that I have been let out of traffic tickets when wearing my scrubs. There is a camaraderie there. It is sad to me that a police officer would treat a nurse, or anyone, with such stunning disrespect. Was his behavior a power trip? Was it sexist in nature? Was he under a huge amount of stress? Was he just a jerk?
So many questions, and I know we only have one side to this story. I can’t wait to hear the response from this cop and the CPD.
Has anyone else out there had a similar experience with a police officer?
RR
