Skip to content
FacebookTwitterLinkedInYouTubeEmail
MENU
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTER!
  • About PCEO
    • Contact Us
  • PublicCEO Report
  • Job Board
    • Post A Job
      • City Attorney – City of Stockton
      • Chief Executive Officer – Southern California Fair and Events Center
      • Assistant Finance Director – City of Marina
  • Advertise
  • Submit an Op-Ed
PublicCEO Logo PublicCEO Logo PublicCEO Logo
  • City
  • County
  • Special District
  • Private Sector
  • Insights
    • Op-Eds
  • City
  • County
  • Special District
  • Private Sector
  • Insights
  • About PublicCEO
  • PublicCEO Report
  • Job Board
    • Post A Job
  • Advertise
  • Submit an Op-Ed
  • Contact Us

Health Center Says San Diego County Doesn’t Take Gun Threats Seriously Enough

Health Center Says San Diego County Doesn’t Take Gun Threats Seriously Enough
  • View Larger Image

By Maya Srikrishnan.

SEIU 221, the union that represents county social service employees, filed a workplace safety complaint against San Diego County after employees at the North Inland Live Well Center in Escondido received multiple threats of gun violence.

The union members allege that the county didn’t follow the safety and security protocol it adopted after the San Bernardino shooting.

“Our facilities are at risk now more than ever,” said Linda Correa, an SEIU 221 member, who does client intake at the North Inland Live Well Center. “The employees are very impacted by what they hear and management and the county doesn’t seem to make it a priority. We serve so many people, so many families, so many children and disabled – it’s a huge concern.”

The North Inland Live Well Center, which opened in September 2015, is a family resource center for people who need health insurance or food assistance, and child welfare services. It also has resources for veterans and meeting spaces for community groups.

The union gathered at least five instances since May in which clients or members of public behaved erratically and threatened to shoot employees and other people in the center.

“Management did not follow protocol in any of these incidents, only one incident was reported to the police,” said SEIU 221 spokesman Adam Ward in an e-mail.

The county disputes the assertion that it hasn’t handled the situations well.

“The safety of our employees and the residents we serve in our facilities is the top priority for the Health and Human Services Agency,” said county spokesman Craig Sturak. “We take threats to our staff very seriously, and have procedures in place to respond immediately when they happen.”

The county said it is aware of fewer incidents that what the union members report and that since last October, there have been three incidents in which threats of gun violence occurred in County Health and Human Services facilities, two of which were at the Escondido center.

In both of those instances, Sturak said the county followed procedure. The Escondido Police Department responded to the situation where someone threatened gun violence in the facility after being called by security. Management met with staff and supervisors to debrief and ordered an additional temporary security guard immediately following the incidents. Then the County said its Human Resources Department conducted a follow-up review.

Sturak said that nearly 300 employees at the center attended a training about active-shooter situations held by the Sheriff’s Department in 2017, and roughly 100 employees from the North Inland facility also attended workplace violence prevention training in August, which also covered active-shooter situations. He also said that the facility has a security manager, security coordinator and on-site security guards “to help ensure the safety of staff and the public we serve.”

“I work in intake, so I do face-to-face interviews,” said Correa. “So anyone could come in. It’s always in the back of my head. We want to know that the safety of their employees is at least one of their top priorities.”

[divider] [/divider]

Originally posted at Voice of San Diego.

Alex Applegate2017-07-17T09:56:19-07:00July 17, 2017|Cities|

Share This Story!

FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail

Recent News

Amy Gallagher2022-06-28T16:04:27-07:00

The City of El Segundo appoints Darrell George as new city manager

Amy Gallagher2022-06-28T16:04:27-07:00June 28, 2022|

Anne Jang2022-06-27T13:24:44-07:00

Rohnert Park City Manager Darrin Jenkins announces his retirement

Anne Jang2022-06-27T13:24:44-07:00June 27, 2022|

Anne Jang2022-06-27T13:16:29-07:00

Huntington Beach ranked first in USA for quality of city services

Anne Jang2022-06-27T13:16:29-07:00June 27, 2022|

  • laguna beach
Jacob Lyle2022-06-23T16:50:03-07:00

Laguna Beach welcomes new Fire Chief Niko King

Jacob Lyle2022-06-23T16:50:03-07:00June 23, 2022|

  • City of Santa Barbara
Jacob Lyle2022-06-23T16:02:54-07:00

Santa Barbara City Council declares Stage Two Water Shortage Alert in response to statewide drought

Jacob Lyle2022-06-23T16:02:54-07:00June 23, 2022|

Top of Mind

How are you telling your agency's story?

© Copyright Public CEO | daily@publicceo.com | Privacy Policy

Page load link
Go to Top