Witness Protection
5560905
37 Posts
Just when I think I've heard it all, something else comes along and I don't have a policy for this one.
A few weeks ago, one of our overnight bellmen was late for his shift. Subsequently a police officer called and advised that he had been witness to a crime and that he was in protective custody at the time. The employee came back to work the following day and said he had to testify in court and that everything was okay.
Today, I found out that the employee had witnessed a woman being beaten and thrown from a car. When he stopped to assist her, he was shot at. The police asked him to cooperate to try to identify the car from which she was thrown. Evidently the perps saw him and subsequently carjacked and kidnapped him with intent to kill him. He somehow escaped and now is being moved from hotel to hotel within the city and is under surveillance by detectives day and night until he can testify in court regarding the incidents.
I asked him why he didn't allow them to move him out of the city as they had recommended and he said he needed his job. He has a wife and small child to support.
I certainly don't want to punish this gentleman for doing the right thing, but there are liability issues here. I cannot risk other employees or guests safety so I cannot let him continue to work. It could be up to six months before this gets to trial, so we don't have any paid leave alternatives for this young man.
What would you do?
A few weeks ago, one of our overnight bellmen was late for his shift. Subsequently a police officer called and advised that he had been witness to a crime and that he was in protective custody at the time. The employee came back to work the following day and said he had to testify in court and that everything was okay.
Today, I found out that the employee had witnessed a woman being beaten and thrown from a car. When he stopped to assist her, he was shot at. The police asked him to cooperate to try to identify the car from which she was thrown. Evidently the perps saw him and subsequently carjacked and kidnapped him with intent to kill him. He somehow escaped and now is being moved from hotel to hotel within the city and is under surveillance by detectives day and night until he can testify in court regarding the incidents.
I asked him why he didn't allow them to move him out of the city as they had recommended and he said he needed his job. He has a wife and small child to support.
I certainly don't want to punish this gentleman for doing the right thing, but there are liability issues here. I cannot risk other employees or guests safety so I cannot let him continue to work. It could be up to six months before this gets to trial, so we don't have any paid leave alternatives for this young man.
What would you do?
Comments
We're trying to reach the DA's office now to see if they can assist him and we'll put him on leave until this is all over. We can't assume the liability that someone might come after him and harm another employee or one of our guests.
Just a few weeks ago we had an employee who was targeted by his daughter's boyfriend in a domestic squabble in which the boyfriend was seeking to "off" the entire family. Threat was real in that assailant had outstanding warrant for attempted murder. Employee felt safer coming to work and we took extra measures. We are already a lock-down secure facility, but provided employee with company car so that assailant would not look for recognized car. We also had a "regular"; i.e. armed police officer on the premises until we thought the threat was no longer imminent.
I know that being a larger company we can afford to offer a little more than a small company, but just offering the above comment for what it is worth.