User Panel
Posted: 10/4/2004 12:22:53 PM EDT
Worker fired for trying to disarm robber
10-year veteran risked others' lives, firm says 07:59 AM CDT on Monday, October 4, 2004 By MICHAEL E. YOUNG / The Dallas Morning News The robbery passed in a blur – rough voices, barked orders, workers forced to the floor, a bag of money changing hands. Then one of the robbers ordered the supervisor at the Richardson Long John Silver's to the back of the restaurant. "He's going to kill me," the man recalled thinking. So he grabbed a hammer, turned and swung. The robber fell, then fled, his accomplice with him. The bag of money lay on the floor. A few days after the Sept. 18 robbery attempt, the supervisor got another shock: Officials at Long John Silver's fired him. He'd risked his co-workers' lives and violated company policy, he said they told him. A company spokesman declined to discuss specifics, acknowledging the attempted robbery at the Belt Line Road restaurant and the policy. Spokesman Rick Maynard said, "Our policy outlines the steps that should be taken to prevent putting customers or employees at risk, including directing employees not to attempt to disarm a robber." The decision stunned the fired supervisor, who asked that his name not be used because the robbers remain at large. And it surprised law enforcement officials. "You know what? He might not have followed policy. But don't Monday-morning-quarterback someone whose life was threatened," said Richardson police Sgt. Kevin Perlich. The supervisor, 46, said his fears overwhelmed him, and for good reason. "They had my three employees on the floor," said the Dallas father of six who had worked for Long John Silver's for 10 years. "I gave them the money, but the dude who's supposed to have the gun, he orders me into the back. "The only thing I could think is he was going to kill all of us," the fired worker said. He'd been robbed on the street 25 years ago. He had handed over his money and offered his watch, but the robber shot him anyway. "I had a flashback, and I was panicking. I knew I had to do something. I had seen a hammer in the back, and I grabbed it." A few days later, he was called in by his boss and fired. "I cooperated. I gave them the money. But they said because I hit one of the robbers, I violated company policy." |
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Never ate their before, and certainly never will now. |
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Oh how I love corporate policy. The golf store I work at is the same way. If someone decides to walk in, pick up a dozen $500 drivers and walk out the front door, I will be fired if I attempt to stop them. I will be fired if I leave the store to get a license plate. I will be fired if I do anything beyond telling them to have a nice day.
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Which store is that? |
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A liitle arfcom fire mission maybe?
LJS is a yummi brand which is owned by pepsi. Taco bell,pizza hut,a&w,eetc. |
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Which means an Arfcom fire mission won't dent them - BG |
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Fire mission?
Point out how other robberies went bad when the robbers ordered the employees in the back and ended with all the employees dead. Thus, unaction poses a greater risk than does action. Very few antigun stories perturb me anymore, but this kind does. The robbery was clearly turning into something much deadlier, but "company policy" dictates that nobody take action. |
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Here in Nashville we had Paul dennis Reid who killed 7 fast food workers during robberies, a black female who killed 3 others at a captain d's robbery. If I worked fast food I would carry for sure. |
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+1 The dude had been robbed before, and was shot! WTF, can you blame him? The guy had six children, and has worked there for 10 years. Way to really stand behind your employees, assholes... |
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A very large chain in which every store has a psuedo-rock fountain in the center. If you're a golfer, you probably know the one I mean. |
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Personally, if they are just going to grab whatever and split no problem, but the when those people want to get rid of any witnesses, then that's where I have a problem. Most of this stuff is covered by insurance anyways, so what the hey just give it to 'em. Now, if the want to shoot me, then, then that's when I have a problem. |
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He was being led to the secondary crime scene. He did the right thing.
As I tell my nieces over and over again, the secondary crime scene is where the cops usually find the dead bodies. Fuck LJS, they didn't deserve this guy. I'm sure he'll have no problem finding a new job. |
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Imagine if you had a CCW permit but were forced to leave your weapon in the car. If there was a robbery, or God forbid a shooting, I would really hope that person sued the shit out of one of these companies. Maybe then they'd realize it's not the law abiding citizens you have to be afraid of.
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I hope not. Sounds like he needs the $$$'s pretty bad. Apparently he's loyal...fuck, he's been there forever. Wish I could afford to hire him... |
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Got an address? They need to promote the guy not fire him. He followed the policy. He also stayed alive. It's crap policies like that encourage criminals and brow beats the sheeple. |
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I found this contact form on the LJS website...
http://www.longjohnsilvers.com/comments/default.htm |
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Sound like he did the right thing to me. Guess it's time to stop eating at LjS. And to think the guy had been shot before after complying, he is definatly in the right. on LjS.
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WTF happened to the United States?
It was here just a few years ago. All I see now are pussies running around, and not the good types..... |
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Yup. Hell in a handbasket, I tell ya. |
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Three words from Oklahoma:
ROGER DALE STAFFORD He lined-up 5 teenage waiters and waitresses, along with their manager, in a walkin freezer at a Sirloin Stockade and executed them all with a bullet to the back of each of their heads. THIS CALLS FOR A FIRE MISSION! |
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I love how the corpriats are force feeding cowardice in our society.
be a coward and get along, show some balls and you will be ridiculed. nice, just nice. |
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When my son and daughter worked in their fast food and drugstore jobs I told them to never let some punk walk them into a store room or freezer. Take your chances on going through a window or out the door.
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You know, the sad irony about this is that the infamous Luby's slaughter in Killeen was what really kicked off the push for CCW in Texas. My wife saw the whole crime scene tape in college and was amazed at the damage done by Hennard. She said he did doubletaps on all his victims. This is THE kind of reason we have CCW, to give us a chance at the very least. There is no guarantee that things would turn out for the better, but when you look at the aftermath of the Killeen Luby's, how could you not think that ANYTHINGS gotta be better than NOTHING.
FUCK LJS. And fuck anyone who thinks they have a right to dictate something that is human nature, "fight or flight", and when you can't use "flight" well that leaves about one choice left. |
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Most companies self-insure up to a certain amount, IOW there's a pretty good sized deductible but in the long run this is handled by some risk insurance specialists who don't know how to factor in the value of your life to you. They know how much they will pay your widow if this happens but that's not the same thing. What this company is saying is that you have no right to protect yourself which violates the Constitution several times over. I e-mailed them and told them they did the wrong thing firing this guy for protecting his own life. You can pay the widow and the kids a price but you can't tell someone their own life is priced by you. |
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I worked at a Subway as amanager for 3 months.I was thinking of buying it but decided it was boring and a pain in the ass.I didnt ask the owner if I could carry because he would had said no more than likely.So instead of a pistol I bought a NAA mini 22mag revolver.I also had a 1911 in my gym bag in back.
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That's really fucked up to get fired for something like that.
Also, Long John Silvers is really good. And I miss that place, as we don't have any near here. |
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DING DING DING WE GOT A WINNER Never go to a secondary crime scene, that is where a large precentage of crime victims are killed. He did the right thing and I would try to sue LJS if I were him, fuck em. |
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That's a load of crap. I know I'll be staying away from LJS. Wonder what their policy for customer carry is?
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There is only one LJS in Richardson I can think of- its on Belt Line Rd. I am going there right now to tell the Manager we were going to eat there but then I remembered that this went down and we are out. Report back in an about 2 hours.
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Talking out the old ass again here.
"What this company is saying is that you have no right to protect yourself which violates the Constitution several times over." Would you care to point one ONE Constitutional right that applies here? NONE NONE NONE The Constitution is a limit on the powers of the Federal Government, it does not apply to how LJS decides to run it's business. They don't pay you enough to be a superhero and YES insurance covers the companies losses. YOU have to decide if YOU are going to follow the policies. It's your consequences as to what YOU do. You don't like the policy don't work or eat there. That said, he probably made the right decision in not going to the back room The policy is directed at the average high school dropout that normally works fast food. Anybody that thinks the illiterate in 2 languages can be trusted with a firearm at work raise their hand. ( Yes, yes, What they do outside the workplace is their business, inside the business is the company business.) |
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I could be wrong,but I'd guess most chains have a policy like this.
Where I work you can't lay a hand on any shoplifter or go out the store to stop them.Also if you are being held up you are to fully cooperate and do nothing to stop them or even draw attention to what's happening...just stay quiet until they're outta the store. I think this has alot to do with scumbags being injured or even sometimes killed over the shit they take and their families comming back and suing the company. I'm totally with this guy though.Whenever I think of an armed robbery taking place,specially at night,I can't help but think about those instances where employees are taken to the back,tied up and executed. I don't think I could out like that. Shot in the back of the head,while I was tied up on the floor. |
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+1 |
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Yeah! We had a Roy Rogers here that was robbed quite a while back and 5 co-operating employees were simply executed.
The bottom line is the store is worried that they could be sued if an employee tries to stop a robbery and someone else gets hurt, OTOH, if the robber kills the employee, the store simply sends a condolence card to the family. I don’t care for LJS anyway, but this will certainly guarantee that I never step foot in another one! |
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Roger Ghostrider, I have your target package ready. Jonathan Blum, Senior Vice President, Public Relations for Yum! Brands (A & W, Long John Silvers, KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) 1441 Gardiner Lane Louisville, KY 40213 Tel (502)874-2543, (502)874-8200, (502)874-8300 Fax (502)874-8790 [email protected] |
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LJS has some nonthinking managers. |
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I wrote LJS an email telling them I will boycott and urge all acquaintences to boycott their stores unless the man is rehired w/ backpay.
r/s Dan |
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Follow-up article:
Light up Mr. Blum's e-mail. Let them know that this is bullshit. |
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My dyslexia must be acting up, I read this to say ...
Worker Fired For Trying To Disrobe Armorer |
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There we have it folks, to the company your getting hurt or dead is better than a law suit from the scumbag robber or the family. |
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He traded his kob for his life. Not a bad deal in my eyes. F*&$ LJS! I'll never eat there again.
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We want to hear about your experience regarding any of our Long John Sliver's restaurants
www.ljsilvers.com/comments/default.htm To give us feedback, ask a question about Yum! Brands, Inc., please use the form below. www.yum.com/contact/default.htm |
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I had to put in my two cents in on this, so here's the email I sent to Johnathon Blum (sorry it's so long):
He may not read it, but damn, I feel better... |
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Really? I could use a new set of clubs. Where do you work? |
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... Yeah, no shit. All kinds of ideas come to mind |
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My fire mission:
I read of the firing of your Richardson, Texas location employee, a 10 year manager whose name was not printed in the Dallas Morning News story about him. I think it is a travesty and a disgrace to fire a man who obviously took quick decisive action to terminate a robbery which was about to turn into a multiple murder scene. This has happened before at other restaurants. I find it difficult to find the words to express my disgust at your treatment of a man who saved the lives of several of your employees, and saved the company money, both from future crime losses and from lost business that results from a fear of crime and the horror of the magnatude of the crime that occured. It is pathetic that policy must be adhered to simply because it is policy, and it leaves no room for superb human judgement that saves lives. Yes, I understand the emphasis upon safety, but in a bad situation, the criminal controls the situation, and if he decides to kill them, as in what was about to occur in Richardson that night, only decisive action from a victim will save lives. I urge you to make this right, once and for all. Alter the policy where you recognize the basic human right of self defense in situations where it is obvious that the robbery is about to become a murder scene. If not that, then alter the policy to grant your managers the judgement required to protect the lives of their employees. |
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The right thing for everyone involved... I can see it now. Hero gets his job back. Minus seniority and at new-hire wages since he left the company. Robbers are tracked down and given a bag of money and treatment for the hammer-wound. If it were one of us working at the LJS that day, there would have been a dead robber or two... |
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I'm glad to see that this is getting some press. Hopefully this dude can get his job back...or perhaps get a job somewhere else where he will be appreciated, and make better bank. |
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Thank you Lord, for allowing me to carry my Glock, or Sig everyday at my mudane job. Thank you for giving me the courage to carry it in places where it might not be welcome. On those mornings when I'm running late or my pants are a little snug, Thank You for motivating me to carry anyway, because we know not when the thief will call. Thank You for my wife who always asks if I have my gun as I go out the door., Thank You too for every time she has taken her own gun with her. Thank you for giving me the ability to earn enough to afford good training neccessary deploy my weapon. Thank you for finding me in a state which respects my right to self defense. And Thank You Lord for never placing a threat before me causing my to wield the deadly power, but know that I am ready. Amen.
Oh yeah, FUYUM! |
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