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SALT LAKE CITY — A safety officer with the Salt Lake City Public Library has resigned following an investigation into a video showing the officer using a baton to hit a patron in February.
In a statement emailed to KSL.com Monday, library spokeswoman Quinn Smith said they have since removed batons from safety officer’s belts and are conducting a reassessment of the facility’s security measures.
On Feb. 12, a patron allegedly violated the library’s Code of Conduct multiple times and was asked to leave, according to the statement. “From there, the situation unfortunately escalated,” Smith wrote.
A video posted to Twitter showed a safety officer throwing items at the patron and, at one point, appeared to show the officer using a baton.
“This incident is incredibly disheartening and upsetting,” the statement continued.
Just watched a security guard at the downtown library beat the crap out of someone for...trying to steal a book? @SLCPL I’m going to email you videos of this, it was completely uncalled for, there’s blood all over the ground outside pic.twitter.com/vDs7cHeJtZ
— mads (@madalenamcneil) February 13, 2020
Library officials launched an investigation into the incident, and the safety officer was placed on administrative leave, Smith said. The officer resigned following the investigation's completion.
“The safety of our patrons is our number one priority,” Smith wrote. “We have taken pride in our staff and safety officers’ abilities to regularly deescalate unhealthy, uncomfortable, and at times, dangerous situations.”
However, Smith said, the altercation on Feb. 12 “revealed the need to provide further training and support for our safety officers, in addition to the deescalation training already in place.”
Smith emphasized that the safety officers make a commitment to “foster a safe environment for all our patrons.”
Prior to the altercation, Smith said a safety officer administered life-saving naloxone to a patron.
"This job is much more involved and emotionally tolling than most security roles are," Smith wrote. "Our team is not sitting behind closed walls watching security tapes. They are working side-by-side with some of our most vulnerable populations."
