Ambulance attendants accused of molesting patients

[spenac]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/articl...53flcgD950M9RO0

Ambulance attendants accused of molesting patients

By DANNY ROBBINS – 3 hours ago

DALLAS (AP) — They answer the call 24-7, often risking their own safety to rescue the sick and injured and rush them to the hospital. But some paramedics have been more predator than hero.

Over the past 18 months, at least 129 ambulance attendants across the U.S. have been accused of sex-related crimes on duty or off, an investigation by The Associated Press found. Some of them molested patients in the back of an ambulance.

"It's a dream job for a sexual predator," said Greg Kafoury, a Portland, Ore., lawyer who represents three women who were groped by a paramedic. "Everything is there: Women who are incapacitated, so they're hugely distracted. Medical cover to put your hands in places where, in any other context, a predator would be immediately recognized as such."

Across the U.S., emergency medical technicians have been accused in recent months of such crimes as rape, soliciting minors over the Internet and possession of child porn, according to an AP survey of the state agencies that oversee those professions.

Exactly how many of these EMTs were alleged to have committed their crimes on the job is unclear. But some of more shocking cases include:

_ A Standish, Mich., paramedic sent to prison in March for molesting a girl who was on her way to the hospital after she was injured at her 15th birthday party.

_ A Pinellas County, Fla., paramedic arrested in July after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in an ambulance en route to a hospital.

_ A Chester County, Pa., paramedic sentenced in July to up to 20 years in prison for engaging in sex and providing alcohol to teenagers he befriended through their interest in emergency medical service.

_ A Copperas Cove, Texas, paramedic awaiting trial in January on charges he exposed and touched an 18-year-old accident victim's breasts while pretending to tend to her injuries.

_ A Chattanooga, Tenn., EMT accused in a lawsuit of giving a 30-year-old woman an extra dose of morphine and then completely undressing her in the back of an ambulance even though her injuries were minor.

State health officials in 23 states reported receiving sex-related complaints involving EMS workers. New York reported the most complaints — 17. Thirteen of the complaints were substantiated and resulted in workers losing their certification. Texas reported 13 complaints, Massachusetts 11 and Virginia 10. No breakdown was immediately available showing how many of those allegations involved sexual misconduct on the job.

Several EMS officials said the number of complaints is troubling but does not necessarily point to an industrywide problem. They noted that the profession employs nearly 900,000 people in the U.S.

"That number in and of itself doesn't shock me, knowing the number of providers we have in the country," said Steve Blessing, state EMS director in Delaware and president of the National Association of State EMS Officials. "Is even one case tolerable? I think most state directors would say no. But we're bound by reality here."

In Portland, paramedic Lannie Haszard was sentenced to five years in prison in August after pleading guilty to five counts of attempted sexual abuse. Haszard, 62, was charged with inappropriately touching four female patients while they were being taken by ambulance to hospitals.

Three of the women have sued Haszard and American Medical Response, his employer at the time. The lawsuits contend that the company, which operates ambulances in 40 states, failed to react to previous complaints about the paramedic's conduct.

Haszard's behavior came to light last December when a 28-year-old single mother of three, Royshekka Herring, told police that he touched her genitals while she was en route to the hospital for emergency treatment of a gastrointestinal condition.

In a recent taped deposition, Herring's voice shook with emotion as she described how a nurse tried to convince her that Haszard was probably performing an abdominal exam.

"I started yelling at her, because I didn't feel safe," Herring testified. "Somebody I never expected to touch me touched me."

A spokesman for American Medical Response had no comment on the case.

Former Dallas Fire Chief Steve Abraira suggested ambulances carry three workers. Ambulances usually have two — one in the front, one in the back.

"If there's a person predisposed to do something wrong, there's nobody there to witness or discourage that individual from doing something," said Abraira, now the fire chief in Palm Bay, Fla.

Twenty-eight states do not automatically bar known sex offenders from working as EMTs, the AP found.

Although most insist they would rarely, if ever, allow sex offenders to work those jobs, the AP found that Texas has knowingly allowed eight, Louisiana two and Maine, Virginia and North Carolina one each. There is no indication any of those people were accused of sexual misconduct after being allowed to work EMS jobs.

Twenty-two states strictly prohibit such offenders from working as EMTs.

"This is the type of person we don't want in the back of an ambulance with your mother or daughter," said March Tucker, an EMS regulator in West Virginia.

All but one of the eight registered sex offenders certified to work in Texas victimized children ranging in age from 6 to 16.

"Oh, my goodness, that's really scary," said Winfred Dean, who supervises the sex offender monitoring unit for the Harris County probation department in Houston. "I thought people like that would more than likely be eliminated."

Texas officials said state regulations call for EMS licensing decisions to be made on a case-by-case basis.

"The only thing we can do is follow the law, and the law allows this," said Maxie Bishop, state EMS director. "We have to take a look at the crime, how long it's been, the nature of it and what that person has done since."

Associated Press writers Brian Farkas in Charleston W.Va., and Richard Richtmyer in Albany, N.Y., contributed to this report.

[spenac]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6159859.html

Small town outraged over sex offender EMT

By DANNY ROBBINS Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press

Dec. 11, 2008, 2:13PMShare Print Email Del.icio.usDiggTechnoratiYahoo! BuzzLOCKHART, Texas — Although typically not the stuff of small-town conversation, Texas' standards for emergency medical technicians and paramedics have been a hot topic here lately.

And more often than not, the tone has been angry.

Officials in this town of 13,000 about 30 miles south of Austin have been up in arms since discovering last December that a registered sex offender was working for the city as a firefighter and EMT — with the state's OK.

Lockhart City Manager Vance Rodgers said he felt betrayed when he learned that the state had certified the EMT, Michael Harris, knowing that he twice pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges that he exposed himself to women in New York.

"I couldn't visualize a state agency giving a guy like that a license and allowing him to be in contact with patients — minors or adults," Rodgers said.

The case is the most visible example of how health officials in Texas for years have allowed some sex offenders to serve as EMTs and paramedics. Records examined by The Associated Press show that at least seven other sex offenders have been certified by the Department of State Health Services, the agency that oversees EMTs. Those seven were each convicted of felonies involving children ranging in age from 6 to 16.

A nationwide survey by the AP found that most states do not have laws expressly prohibiting sex offenders from working as EMTs, but few have actually allowed such individuals to do so.

In Lockhart, Mayor Jimmy Bertram, said he will ask the Legislature to change the way EMTs are certified in Texas.

"I don't care what the licensing board says," he said. "This is just flat unacceptable."

When Harris was hired by the city in 2003, he wasn't required to disclose his criminal background. Lockhart officials acknowledge that their vetting process was flawed, but they say they believed the state would not allow someone convicted of a sex offense to be certified as an EMT.

The city learned of Harris' criminal history when Rodgers initiated a series of background checks for police, fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel. The revelation ultimately led to Harris' dismissal.

In a civil service proceeding, Harris contended that he had informed Lockhart's fire chief, Jerry Doyle, of his convictions, a condition imposed by the state when it certified him. But an arbitrator, Weatherford attorney Phil King, ruled against him.

"It is apparent from the evidence that firefighter Harris perpetuated an ongoing effort to hide his convictions and his status as a registered sex offender from his employer, the City of Lockhart," wrote King, who is also a state representative.

Harris declined a request to be interviewed by the AP.

Officials from the Department of State Health Services said they are bound by the state occupations code, which technically allows any applicant with a criminal background to be considered.

"There are a lot of people who think certain people shouldn't be doing whatever," said Maxie Bishop, the state's EMS director. "But the law doesn't work that way. And until subjectivity is the law, I can't be governed by it."

When applicants with criminal histories are considered, they undergo considerable scrutiny, he said.

"It's not just taking some person's word," he said. "We pull the court report. They (applicants) have to provide us with letters from people in the community, people who have known them. And we look at what happened since the time (an applicant was convicted)."

But at least one case examined by the AP raises questions about the thoroughness of those investigations.

When the state agreed in April to renew David Boswell's certification as a paramedic, it did so without speaking to the district attorney who prosecuted him for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl. Had his input been sought, Williamson County DA John Bradley said, he would have urged the state to deny Boswell's renewal.

"Certainly, if we had received a call from the state agency asking, 'Hey, what's your opinion of this case and this guy?' I would easily have said, 'Take it away.' "

Boswell, 32, was initially charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecency with a child. He pleaded guilty to one sexual assault count and received 10 years' probation. Under terms set by the state, he may only work in hospital emergency rooms or acute care facilities and must be supervised when around patients under 17.

Boswell, who now works at a hospital in Cameron, said he provided the state with letters from his probation officer, previous employers, co-workers and friends. He said his current supervisor and another hospital employee also appeared on his behalf.

"On paper, yeah, you have to wonder why," he said, acknowledging that some might question the state's decision to renew his certification. "But I can say I know myself, and I don't pose any danger to my patients."

[WolfmanHarris]

One point made in the article that I found interesting was:

"It's a dream job for a sexual predator," said Greg Kafoury, a Portland, Ore., lawyer who represents three women who were groped by a paramedic. "Everything is there: Women who are incapacitated, so they're hugely distracted. Medical cover to put your hands in places where, in any other context, a predator would be immediately recognized as such."

I know we always harp on the education thing (with good reason), but I wonder how many of those involved were Basics? I don't mean to denigrate the basics on this forums, most of whom by being here and seeking any form of further education, have got to be head and shoulders above their peers as they've been described on here. But say you're a predatory individual, attracted to power, looking for vulnerable victims and someone tells you that with a couple of weekends, you too can work on an Ambulance and be a hero to everyone. Predators are going to actively look for was to hunt, but we don't need to make EMS a ridiculously easy to enter haven for them.

[TDP]

There are creeps in every profession,no matter what profession or where you go,but you'd think with health professionals they would be different,consistently dealing with the ill,the injured. I think the hiring process is to lax for Paramedics. I know in some cities,they are considering the polygraph and voice stress analysis tests for people who are wanting to work for certain services. Wether stricter hiring policies work to ensure the publics safety or not,who knows I think no matter where you go,where ever you work,you are going to find creeps. I don't think it's going to get any better either.

my 2 cents.

[WolfmanHarris]

I don't think it's going to get any better either.

I couldn't disagree on this one more. It's a mistake to ever accept something, especially this awful, as unchangeable. Because the eventual step is giving up.

Creeps and sex offenders are very different. I've worked with people who I considered kinda creepy, who were creeps or gave others the creeps. That in itself is not a problem. Sex assault, especially of a vulnerable sector is.

but you'd think with health professionals they would be different,consistently dealing with the ill,the injured

I don't think I get your point here. How would it be different if we make it impossibly easy for people to enter EMS and keep standards so low? (I'm speaking in general; mainly about the US. Not that our s*** doesn't stink in Canada, but American stats are the issues currently being discussed.) Besides, by it's very nature while EMS providers can act professionally, in many areas it is not by most definitions a profession.

How working with the ill or injured would change the pathology of a sexual predator? If anything, ill, injured vulnerable people implicitly putting their trust in the predator who is in a position of authority would be more of an attraction for the predator. These things will not turn them off.

[Just Plain Ruff]

One point made in the article that I found interesting was:

I know we always harp on the education thing (with good reason), but I wonder how many of those involved were Basics? I don't mean to denigrate the basics on this forums, most of whom by being here and seeking any form of further education, have got to be head and shoulders above their peers as they've been described on here. But say you're a predatory individual, attracted to power, looking for vulnerable victims and someone tells you that with a couple of weekends, you too can work on an Ambulance and be a hero to everyone. Predators are going to actively look for was to hunt, but we don't need to make EMS a ridiculously easy to enter haven for them.

But you basically did just denigrate basics here. I don't know the numbers but until you can prove that the majority of the molesters are basics you need to back the truck up and hold on a second. That was a generalization that should not have been made.

[WolfmanHarris]

Sorry, I don't know if I made my point clear. I wasn't drawing a correlation between being a basic and any wrong doing. I was saying that limited education requirements that can be completed in a very short time frame, for a job that has aspects that would appeal to a predator looking for an outlet is the problem. By saying I didn't want to denigrate Basics, I meant that despite this incredibly limited education, there are competent providers dedicated to their education and that the fact that the Basic education is incredibly limited does not in itself speak to them as providers.

In other words I was saying with such a short course, are we making it easy for a predator to enter the field.

I hope that has redeemed my F-up a bit.

[spenac]

In El Paso a year or two ago a paramedic sucked his patients breasts when he thought she was unconscious. At the hospital when she was able to talk she told. They swabbed her breast and found his DNA. I posted the article here sometime ago.

[Dustdevil]

Meh... breasts are overrated.

[CBEMT]

but I wonder how many of those involved were Basics?

Well, all I know is that every incident named in the article was perpetrated by a paramedic.