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Cop
in the Front Office
by Dr. Lynne
Curry
Question:
The receptionist just told me a cop is waiting in the front office
to see one of our senior employees who is in a very important
meeting with our largest client. There’s no way to explain to
the client why I’d pull this employee out of the meeting and I
don’t know what to tell the cop Can I just tell the cop that he’ll
have to wait until the employee finishes her meeting? Do I have to
let the cop in to the employee’s office or answer any questions
myself? If this employee is arrested, what do I tell the other
employees?
Answer:
When police officers come to a work site, they generally have a
reason Although you and your employee have rights, you also need
to treat any police office politely and responsively Ask to see
the officer’s identification and say you’ll bring the employee
out If you can, find out the purpose of his visit but realize the
officer may not tell you
Because this
matter may be vastly more important than any client meeting, find
a discrete way to tell your employee that an officer needs to see
her. Most clients can understand, "there’s been totally
unexpected and serious personal call for the employee It may take
only five to ten minutes and I’ll be right back to let you know
if it can be handled that quickly" Let your employee know the
situation when you walk her out of client earshot Then, to protect
your employee’s rights and to enable the officer to carry out
his or her business, escort the officer and your employee to a
quiet area Further, depending on what you or your employee learn
concerning the purpose of the visit, you or your employee may want
to call an attorney immediately.
When officers
have a search warrant or subpoena, they have the right to conduct
a search or to access records. Because a warrant empowers the
officer to search, you could face criminal penalties if you try to
stop the process I also doubt that a police officer with a search
warrant for your employee's office will wait for long in your
reception area.
If the officer
questions you about your employee, ask what the purpose of the
questioning is before you answer. It is up to you whether you want
to answer the officer's question or chose to refuse until you have
an attorney present
Finally, you’ve
jumped to a lot of conclusions simply because a police officer
arrived Please don’t voice them to anyone else or you risk
making a possibly small issue into a larger one. According to
Attorney Tom Van Flein, " Unless the police officer is
married to the employee or otherwise has a personal relationship,
chances are good this is an official visit that could involve a
house fire, car accident, or something similarly urgent to the
employee The employee could have been a witness to a crime or
accident and the police officer may need to get a statement."
As for questions
from your other employees, you're wise to prepare ahead for the
rumor mill flood. You need to honor your employee's right to keep
her personal issues private Although the officer brought the issue
into the work place with his presence, he didn't open the topic
for continued discussion Keep confidentiality first in your own
mind and answer questions only on a need to know basis.
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