Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/582535
t m c » p u l s e | o c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 6 6 Not long into Meier's patrol, he receives a typical request. A hospital visitor locked her keys in the car. Within minutes, a couple of security officers have the door open. The visitor said she had been distracted after visiting a family member in the hospital, which Meier said is not unusual. "You've got to keep in mind that many of the visitors to these hospitals have family members who are sick or injured," he said. "We can't imagine what is going through their minds, and for that reason you really need to step up your game." The importance of having a positive attitude is a core tenet of the entire TMC Security team. Proprietary Security Officer Joyce Thompson, sta- tioned at a garage exit, described the job as requiring "stellar customer service skills." "We have some customers who are in a haste to see a friend or a relative for the last time," she said. "Not all customers are going to be nice, but if you give them just a little bit of a smile, they'll usually smile back. We have to have the right attitude and character for a medical environment." In addition to patrolling by car, the TMC now has a bicycle security team—there are six security bikes and eight officers certified to ride. Weather permitting, there are generally at least two officers patrolling by bike each day. While patrolling by bicycle is certainly more rigorous than driving—a TMC security cyclist can log up to 25 to 30 miles in a day—it offers security officers a number of advantages. "There's a lot of stuff you can see that you won't necessarily see riding around in the car," said Edward Powell, a proprietary security officer and bike program enthusiast. "We interact with the public more. We're more readily available vs. someone having to flag a car down." All security officers are equipped to handle virtually any motorist or customer service related issue. Should any officer encounter criminal activity, however, they contact the two police officers assigned to each shift. The police officers, contracted through Harris County, are notified of crime through the radio channel they share with the security officers or through direct phone calls. Common crimes include burglary of motor vehicles, vandalism, suspicious per- sons and even domestic disputes in parking garages, where emotions can run high. In general, the crime rate in the medical center is low compared to the overall crime rate in the city. ALL SECURITY OFFICERS ARE EQUIPPED TO HANDLE VIRTUALLY ANY MOTORIST OR CUSTOMER SERVICE RELATED ISSUE. SHOULD ANY OFFICER ENCOUNTER CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, HOWEVER, THEY CONTACT THE TWO POLICE OFFICERS ASSIGNED TO EACH SHIFT.