A girl with a knife was found Wednesday in the parking lot of Paramus, N.J.-based Bergen Regional Medical Center, approximately one week after Bergen County officials added police at the facility in light of frequent assaults,according to a report on NJ.com.
Authorities found a mother and daughter in the parking lot, and the daughter, whose age was not released, was in possession of a knife, law enforcement confirmed in the report. The girl was involuntarily committed to the hospital.
"She was in possession of the knife, but it's unknown if the commitment was a result of possessing the knife," a law enforcement spokesman said in the report.
Last week, Bergen County officials announced they are targeting violence at Bergen Regional Medical Center after frequent assaults were reported at the facility.
County officials are calling for a number of actions, such as assigning more police to the facility, ordering the hospital to hire consultants to assess safety and patient care, and appointing a liaison from Bergen County to the hospital, The Record reports.
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco also has asked acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal and Sheriff Michael Saudino to conduct a safety assessment of the hospital campus and report findings to his office and the Bergen County Improvement Authority, which oversees Bergen Regional Medical Center, according to The Record.
The executive's response came just days after The Record revealed that violence has reportedly continued at Bergen Regional Medical Center, even after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the hospital last year for failing to keep the workplace free of hazards, and for incorrectly recording workplace injuries. According to the publication, hundreds of alleged assaults have been logged by county police in recent years. New Jersey Sen. Joseph Vitale (D-Middlesex) has also called for a hearing next month in light of The Record's findings.
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