PATERSON — Off-duty city police officers on Monday resumed providing emergency room security at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center, officials said.

That practice — which had been in place for well more than a decade — came to a halt in early February amid a dispute over delinquent payments from the hospital and a disagreement over how much St. Joseph’s should be paying for the police presence.

The hospital has agreed to increase its payments for the police officer assignments from the previous rate of $36 per hour to $50 per hour, said Paterson PBA President Angel Jimenez.

How will the security shifts work?

As part of the agreement, the hospital still discontinue having cops at the ER around-the-clock. Officials said there would now be two consecutive eight-hour shifts every day, one from noon to 8 p.m., and the second going until 4 a.m.

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Over the years, the hospital has needed police presence at the ER to handle volatile situations involving assaults, shootings, and gang rivalries. In some instances, gang members have showed up at the ER looking for victims they were targeting, according to law enforcement sources.

“I happy we hashed things out,” said Jimenez. “It’s good for the community and it’s good for the nurses and doctors that we will have officers there to protect them.”

What did St. Joe’s officials say?

Hospital officials confirmed the resumption of the off-duty assignments.

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“We are pleased to continue a long and successful history of working together to provide a safe environment for our patients, staff and visitors,” said St. Joseph’s spokesperson Pamela Garretson.

Hospital officials have not revealed how they will provide ER security between 4 a.m. and noon.

Joe Malinconico is editor of Paterson Press. Email: editor@patersonpress.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Cops return to St. Joseph’s ER security shifts