Security at Liberty Regional Medical Center soon could get beefed up, as a result of a proposed agreement with the Liberty County Sheriff ’s Office.

Chief Deputy Al Hagan told county commissioners that the hospital authority and the sheriff ’s office are working on an agreement that would provide 24-7 security for the hospital with deputies. The arrangement, he said, is similar to the sheriff ’s office providing school resource officers at Liberty County schools.

“We’ve had a lot of incidents out there,” Commissioner Connie Thrift, the commission’s liaison to the hospital, said. “We’ve got to do something to help them out.”

Derek Rozier, CEO of the Liberty Regional Medical Center, welcomed the agreement between the hospital and the sheriff’s office.

“At Liberty Regional Medical Center, the safety and security of our patients, staff, visitors, and physicians is always a top priority,” he said. “In today’s environment, hospitals are seeing an increased need for reliable and consistent security coverage. Healthcare facilities are open and accessible to the public, often operating around the clock, and it is important that we continue to evaluate how we can best protect those who come to LRMC for care, work, or visitation.”

The hospital has contracted with a private security firm for coverage on its campus.

“As our needs have continued to grow, the level of coverage needed is greater than what we currently have in place,” Rozier said.

Off-duty deputies also have provided security at the hospital, but that arrangement, Rozier said, “has not been as successful or consistent as needed.”

Under the agreement, the sheriff’s office would provide a sergeant and four deputies to provide security, and there would be a marked sheriff’s car out front. Two deputies would work the day shift and there would be two at night, with the sergeant working during the day. Deputies would get every other weekend off.

Deputies would drive their own vehicles to the hospital and would use the marked car to take people to the jail, if needed.

The cost, Chief Hagan said, would be $576,110 and it would be funded fully by the hospital authority.

“The proposed partnership with LCSO would allow us to move toward a more structured full-time officer rotation,” Rozier said. “We believe this model would strengthen security coverage at the hospital while continuing to build on the strong community partnerships that are important to LRMC, including our relationship with the Sheriff’s Office.”

Rozier also thanked the sheriff’s office for working with the hospital to find a solution to its security issues.

“We appreciate Chief Hagan and LCSO for their willingness to work with us,” he said, “and we are grateful for the support of local leadership as we continue evaluating the best way to provide a safe and welcoming environment for our community.”