On arrival at the hospital, the escorting Deputy shall record the time of arrival. The escorting Deputy shall not leave the inmate unattended while in a hospital emergency room. If the inmate must be moved to another location, the Deputy shall escort the inmate. It is advisable, if the injury permits, to handcuff the inmate to the hospital bed rail. Deputies must be alert to the possibility that the inmate may be able to obtain numerous items of contraband and potential weapons while in an emergency room environment.
The escorting Deputy should obtain and note the time the inmate was first examined by the doctor and a brief description of the medical problem for all necessary reports. Any additional information regarding the inmate’s condition should be obtained and transmitted to Medical Services along with the reports.
If staffing allows, a second Deputy should be dispatched with a unit to the hospital. This will expedite the return of the inmate, if released by the attending physician to return to jail. When an inmate is released to return to jail after normal court business hours and the transportation bus has cleared the court lockup, contact the watch commander at IRC/CRDF for instructions on the transporting of the inmate. Court Services personnel may be required to transport the inmate to the appropriate jail facility.
If the inmate is not going to be released, the escorting Deputy shall immediately contact the watch commander at IRC/CRDF for relief. If the inmate is a station booking, it is the station’s responsibility to take custody and control of the inmate at the hospital.
Inmates from outside agencies are the agencies responsibility and they must relieve the Deputy at the hospital. If there is a problem with an outside agency refusing to take charge of their inmate after hours, contact the Branch Supervisor or call the Court Services duty officer through Department Headquarters Bureau.