Hospital Security Officer Suspended for Helping Get Drunk Driver Off the Road

No good deed goes unpunished — at least that seems to be the case in Flint. A McLaren security officer who helped stop a suspected drunk driver has been abruptly suspended, with hospital officials citing a violation of policy.

McLaren Security Guard Suspended - How the Incident Happened

Cory Reid tells Flint's WJRT-TV that he was suspended by the hospital and fears possible termination after intervening in a drunk-driving incident just outside the hospital’s property line.

A McLaren employee alerted Reid to the possible drunk driver after sitting behind a vehicle that was stopped through four cycles of the light at Beecher Rd. and Ballenger Hwy. The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday.

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Reid says he approached the vehicle, which was sitting idle on Beecher Rd. He found three occupants inside passed out, but was eventually able to get the female driver to roll down her window.

Reid says he detected a strong smell of alcohol. She handed him her driver’s license, but Reid says he made no attempt to arrest the woman.

When a Genesee County Sheriff’s deputy arrived, he conducted a roadside sobriety test and found that the driver’s blood alcohol level was 0.123, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Reid tells the TV station he was suspended from his position at the hospital for “holding a position of power or authority over them,” with hospital officials saying he detained the woman by holding her ID.

Hospital Response and Suspension

McLaren Hospital released a statement to WJRT-TV, saying that “hospital security personnel are trained to operate within the limits of their role, which does not include conducting traffic stops.”