Desk duty for Rochester cop after EMT dispute

A Rochester Police investigator is on desk duty following an altercation with an EMT that began in a hospital’s ambulance bay and continued inside the building.

The incident occurred Monday when an unidentified EMT bringing a patient to Strong Memorial Hospital allegedly struck a police officer’s car that was parked there with the door of her ambulance. The investigator asked the EMT for her identification, which she declined to present until the patient had been delivered to the emergency room, NBC News reported.

According to that report, the dock where the incident began is used by ambulances, but the unidentified officer, who was working a case, parked his car in that area while prepping to enter the hospital.

Security video shows two EMTs wheeling a man into the emergency room on a stretcher and bringing him to what appears to be a check-in desk. The plain-clothed investigator can then be seen rushing in behind the EMTs, putting one of them in an armlock, applying handcuffs and firmly escorting her outdoors. The EMT was neither charged nor ticketed.

Monroe Ambulance services said in a statement that “our employee demonstrated sound decision making by prioritizing the care of her patient” and said it looked forward to the results of an investigation being conducted by the Rochester Police Department.

“Pending the internal investigation, the member involved has been placed on administrative assignment,” the Rochester Police chief told NBC News. “We ask for patience as we ensure that a thorough and complete investigation is completed.”