Hospital Police Forces on the Rise Despite Criticisms.

Hospitals in nearly 40 states have established or increased penalties for assaults on healthcare workers, and lawmakers in 29 states have approved or are working on similar laws, as well as ones that allow for the creation of hospital police forces. Members of those forces can carry firearms and make arrests. Healthcare workers are five times as likely to experience violence as employees in other industries, according to federal data. Critics worry that establishing hospital police forces will escalate violence in healthcare settings and could have unintended effects.