About the Department
The Texas Health Police Department is a TCOLE certified police agency authorized by the State of Texas Education Code to provide for a safe, secure and welcoming environment for patients, visitors and employees at all Texas Health Resources (THR) locations. THR is a faith-based, nonprofit health system serving North Texas through Texas Health Physicians Group, hospitals, outpatient facilities, Neighborhood Care & Wellness Centers, home health and preventive and fitness services. THR currently has 29 hospitals and 300+ clinics across 16 counties with 29,000 employees and millions of patients each year.
Our Mission - To improve the health of the people in the communities we serve.
Our Vision - To partner with you for a lifetime of health and well-being.
Our Values - Respect, Integrity, Compassion, Excellence.
Our Roles
Our Police Officers are sworn members in our department and meet all requirements to be licensed by TCOLE as a Peace Officer. The Police Officer role patrols buildings and grounds for after hour unlocked secured areas, may assist with locking and opening doors according to schedules, may provide individual and group escorts to and from parking areas, assists with the identification and removal of unauthorized individuals from property, may detain persons involved in criminal activity, completes incident/offense report forms and composes narratives, provides directions to areas within a facility and interacts with external peace officers, fire personnel, patients, visitors and staff. Police Officers provide quality customer service to Texas Health employees, patients and guest, greets people with courtesy and respect, provides directions and assistance employees, patients and guests, provide general information regarding Texas Health campuses, responds timely to calls for service and emergency situations, assesses the situation and utilizes appropriate de-escalation measures, utilizes critical thinking skills and provides the appropriate level of force for the situation.
Our Telecommunicators are non-sworn members in our department and meet all the requirements to be licensed by TCOLE as a Telecommunicator. The Telecommunicator role monitors CCTV systems and panic/distress alarms, processes requests for service and assistance and operates a multi-channel two-way radio system.
Chief’s Message
My name is Chad Peterson and I have the great privilege and honor to serve as Chief of Police for the Texas Health Police Department. Our department is comprised of dedicated and professional Police Officers and Telecommunicators who provide support and care for THR patients, visitors and employees. Our role and function in a healthcare system is quite different than your traditional policing models. The majority of our interactions are with patients. Patients who are needing medical care. Patients who are in crisis. We strive to be a department that leads with compassion and empathy. We lead with a “Head, Heart, Mouth” mentality to ensure de-escalation is at the forefront in all our interactions.
As Chief, I will uphold the highest of standards to ensure we are keeping people safe by adhering to our policies, procedures and regulatory requirements. Our team is trained, equipped and prepared to accomplish our goal of providing for a safe, secure and welcoming environment to allow for healing and treatment of our patients.