Security heightened at Planned Parenthood clinics following attack
Planned Parenthood clinics across the nation, including the San Joaquin Valley, are on high alert following a shooting at a clinic in Colorado that left three dead Friday.
Despite the attacks and vandalism that have fallen upon the chain of clinics in recent weeks, Planned Parenthood offices remain open and continue to provide services.
A Planned Parenthood clinic in Claremont, N.H., for example, reopened Monday nearly six weeks after police say it was badly damaged by a hatchet-wielding boy.
The reopening happened three days after a man opened fire on a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colo., killing a police officer and two people accompanying friends to the clinic. The rampage touched off an hours-long standoff and shootout that left nine others injured and 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear under arrest.
Dear made his first court appearance Monday and learned that he will face first-degree murder charges in the deaths of the three people.
While no threats or vandalism have been reported at Planned Parenthood clinics in the San Joaquin Valley, clinic officials said Monday they work closely with law enforcement to implement security measures.
“We’re open, we’re safe and people can continue coming to us for care,” said Pedro Elias, director of public affairs at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, which includes health centers in Merced, Fresno and Madera.
Elias said patient security and safety have always been priorities for the clinics, but are even more so after the recent attacks. He noted that volunteers, for instance, are available to act as escorts for people entering and leaving health centers. Staff and volunteers also receive ongoing safety training.
Elias said clinic officials and staff appreciate the support Planned Parenthood offices have received following Friday’s incident in Colorado.
“We are grateful to law enforcement agencies and Planned Parenthood staff who handled this tragedy with courage and compassion,” Elias said.
In New Hampshire, Claremont Police Chief Alexander Scott said officers are cognizant of what happened in Colorado and are keeping an extra eye on the facility. He said the clinic has installed internal security upgrades since the Oct. 21 vandalism.
Police have refused to disclose the age of the alleged intruder or give details of the criminal case, citing juvenile court privacy rules. They say the boy used a hatchet to destroy computers, plumbing fixtures, phones and medical equipment inside the clinic.
Officials still are investigating whether the vandalism is linked to the word “murderer” spray-painted on the same building Oct. 6. Scott said patrols of the clinic area were increased as a result of that instance and will remain that way.
“Of course, what happened in Colorado only further heightens that,” Scott said, adding that the downtown location of the clinic puts it in an area frequented by police.
On Monday, a Democratic state representative in South Carolina asked Republican Gov. Nikki Haley to increase security at the three clinics in the state that provide abortions.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re pro-life or pro-choice; our focus right now should be to make sure what happened in Colorado Springs doesn’t happen” in South Carolina, said Rep. Mia McLeod of Columbia, a three-term House member who’s running for an open Senate seat in 2016.
This story was originally published November 30, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Security heightened at Planned Parenthood clinics following attack."