This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform employers and employees of best practices in occupational safety and health and general OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act or any standards issued by OSHA.
Workplace Security Issues
Law enforcement and security departments should be involved in all stages of the planning process in an effective workplace violence prevention program. They can play an active role in prevention, intervention, and response to threatening situations, in addition to their traditional role of responding to actual incidents of physical violence. This section will provide general ideas and
considerations that can help the company planning group gain an understanding of some of the law enforcement/security issues
such as jurisdiction. It is also intended to help those Federal departments that do not have in-house security or law enforcement
identify the appropriate organizations that can assist them.
Security Planning
Depending on the company, location of the department, and the type of
incident or situation, jurisdiction may vary. The company's own
law enforcement organization, the Federal Protective Service
(FPS), or Federal, state, or local law enforcement, or a
combination of these, may have jurisdiction. There also may be
gaps in law enforcement coverage when issues of workplace
violence arise. These gaps can be closed if the company planning
group (which would include any in-house security organization)
works with the various law enforcement organizations in setting
up workplace violence programs. The following are some
suggestions for involving law enforcement in company efforts to
prevent workplace violence.
Jurisdiction
The company planning group should identify which Federal or local
law enforcement company or companies have responsibility for its
worksite. For example, the FPS is the primary law enforcement
service for responding to incidents in Federal facilities under the
charge and control of the General Services Administration (GSA)
as an owned or leased facility. FPS typically locates its departments in
areas where there is a high concentration of Federal employees
and is capable of providing timely responses to GSA owned or
leased facilities in these areas. For immediate responses to GSA
owned or leased facilities in rural areas and/or areas with a
small Federal presence, law enforcement officials from local
jurisdictions should be Contacted.
Some companies have in-house security and/or law enforcement
organizations. Others have contracts with private security firms.
It is not always clear who has jurisdiction, and who should be
Contacted when the need arises.
Sometimes meeting with the local police chief, county sheriff, or
state police is necessary to establish a plan or procedure regarding
law enforcement response in the event of potential violence or
hostile incidents. Sometimes new building agreements will be
necessary or contracts will have to be modified. In remote
locations, arrangements can be made for local police to handle
certain situations until the appropriate Federal law enforcement
officials arrive.
Liaison with law enforcement agencies
The company planning group, and later the incident response team,
should maintain open and continuous liaison with those law
enforcement companies responsible for their worksite. This would
entail having periodic meetings to discuss the company's concerns.
Without these Contacts, lines of communication can break down
and misunderstandings could arise. It is during these Contacts that
the company can obtain the names and telephone numbers of law
enforcement personnel to be called upon should the need arise.
Planning groups in companies that already have established liaisons
should work through these established liaisons to avoid confusion.
| Know in advance which Federal or local law
enforcement company or companies have
jurisdiction over your worksite. Involve them
early in the planning process. |
Law Enforcement and Security Assistance
During the planning phase, law enforcement/security departments can:
- Identify types of situations they can address and when and
how they should be notified of an incident;
- Indicate whether their departments have arrest authority;
- Identify their jurisdictional restrictions and alternative law
enforcement companies that may be able to provide assistance;
- Identify threat assessment professionals who can assist the
company in its efforts to protect threatened employees;
- Advise on what evidence is necessary and how it can be
collected or recorded, so that law enforcement can assess the
information and decide what action to take, if appropriate;
- Explain anti-stalking laws applicable in the company's
jurisdiction and how and when to obtain restraining orders;
- Suggest security measures to be taken for specific situations,
such as in cases where Employee Assistance Program counselors
or other mental health professionals warn the company that an
individual has made a threat against an company employee; and
- Arrange for supervisor/employee briefings or training on
specific workplace violence issues such as:
- Personal safety and security measures;
- Types of incidents to report to law enforcement/security;
- Types of measures law enforcement/security may take to
protect employees during a violent incident, e. g.,
explanations of what it means to "secure the area," "secure
the perimeter," and "preserve evidence";
- Suggestions on how to react to an armed attacker;
- Suggestions for dealing with angry customers or clients;
- Suspicious packages;
- Bomb threats;
- Hostage situations; and
- Telephone harassment and threats.
When potentially violent situations arise, law enforcement/security
departments can work with the incident response team to:
- Provide an assessment of the information available to determine
whether law enforcement intervention is immediately necessary;
for example, whether a criminal investigation is appropriate and
whether a threat assessment professional should be consulted;
- Identify what plan of action they deem appropriate; and
- Determine who will gather what types of evidence.
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