On September 8th, Annie Le, a graduate student in pharmacology, was reported as missing. Security cameras in the building in which Le worked, captured her image several times on the day she disappeared, but there was no record of her leaving the building. Her purse and keys remained on her desk.
On the day that was to be her wedding day, police discovered Le’s battered body stuffed into a wall in the basement of her workplace. The “wall” was a larger than normal hollowed space that provided access to computer wiring and other building systems. It was also big enough to shove the lifeless body of a woman no more than 4’10” and 90 pounds.
From the start, police had only a small number of suspects. Entrance to the basement was highly secure. Only individuals with specifically coded Yale IDs could gain access to the mouse labs in the basement. These extra precautions are commonplace throughout academia to keep animal rights activists from wrecking havoc in labs.
The number of suspects was further reduced to only those individuals who had swiped their IDs on September 8th and reduced to one laboratory technician, Raymond Clark III, whose DNA was extracted from underneath the fingernails of Annie Le and whose body was covered with scratches and bruises as the young woman fought for her life at the hands of her co-worker. Clark was arraigned yesterday in a New Haven court.
Despite the prurient speculation Clark and Le had enjoyed a romantic relationship that went very bad, which police stated was never the case, what has emerged today is the portrait of a young man in a low-level job, who was controlling and angry and someone who confronted his colleagues with the most trifling of infractions. On the day Le was murdered, Clark is reported to have sent her an angry text message about her deficiencies in the lab, specifically his concerns about the mice in her care.
Workplace violence, especially against women, is a growing and troubling trend. Each year, men and women die in their workplaces – many from heart attacks and stroke, some from exposure to toxic chemicals or from accidents, but 42% of all women who die in their workplaces are murdered. The murder victims can be retail clerks at convenience stores shot by a night-time robber or are victims of domestic violence; however, a growing number of women are being murdered by their own co-workers. Some are killed out of jealousy for a promotion denied, for unrelated disciplinary action or simply because they succumbed to the stresses of the modern workplace, where the threat of downsizing is ever-present.
Many employers have beefed up security measures to ensure that their workers are protected from outsiders, just as Yale did. However, many more workplaces need to pay attention to the threats that exist from within. Raymond Clark’s behavior may have been a surprise to his high school football teammates, but it wasn’t to his co-workers, men and women who repeatedly were subject to his tirades.
But what can you do? Is your workplace secure or is it like mine where doors are propped open to let in the fresh air? Do you know the quickest escape route from your office? Do you have a plan in place that can easily be implemented should a suspicious individual or a disgruntled former employee enter the reception area? Does the company post a listing of employees and the location of their offices in a public location?
These are unfortunate questions that must be answered. Another is how well do you know your co-workers?
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| Do you know your co-workers? |
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masonfun52
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Sep 18 @ 11:59AM
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Hmmm . . . maybe not being employed would be a heckuva lot safer??? 
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cbond35
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Sep 18 @ 12:06PM
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That is why my Taurus PT99 is always with me...............
At night it rests under the pillow next to me..............
Buy yourself a handgun NOW people........Before you aren't able to anymore. The bad guys don't buy guns at stores and shops. So in the end, the criminals will still have access to guns through the blackmarket and other criminals and those without a weapon will just be victims.
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CHARLIgurl1
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Sep 18 @ 12:07PM
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Very good blog
Its awful what happened to that poor girl.
Yes, people should be more aware. 
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thenewguy295
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Sep 18 @ 12:20PM
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Security cameras, coded ID access doors and none of it did the slightest bit of good in protecting this lady.
I'm sure the people working there may even have felt "protected" by all of the controls on their workplace but ultimately we are all responsible for our own safety. Apparently this guy had a history of sorts as well, as so many violent offenders do, but did anyone do anything about him?
As they say, when seconds count the police are only minutes away. Be able to take care of yourself.
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eastham
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Sep 18 @ 12:39PM
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As I communicated directly to cbond, I approved of his comments, but with a great deal of reservation.
Firstly, if you carry a weapon to the office, you have provided a violent person with the means to kill more people than he may have had otherwise. Even James Bond gets a good whack on the head.
Secondly, in a violent situation you are mathematically just as likely to shoot an innocent party as the guilty. Most people lie about how much they drink, how many cigarettes they smoke everyday and how well they shoot. Consider a typical news story where highly trained police officers exchange fire with a violent criminal and never hit him or worse hit an innocent bystander. Recently in New York, we had police officers fire 56 rounds at a violent criminal. They hit him 4 times.
And finally, guns do not provide the protection in the workplace that one would suppose. According to study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2005, workplaces where guns were permitted were 5 to 7 times (not percentage, times) more likely to be the site of workplace fatalities than those that do not.
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Josuha
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Sep 18 @ 1:07PM
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There is no such thing as a 'safe' place.
As bond pointed out, this situation had security cameras, ID card locks etc.
These things can give a false sense of security.
Learn to protect yourself, and not depend on someone doing it for you.
Take responsibility for your own survival in a confrontation.
I know this is a blunt answer, but this is the real world.
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masonfun52
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Sep 18 @ 1:18PM
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how well do you know your co-workers? Probably many people think they know their co-workers very well . . . but how many times over the years has a co-worker, neighbor, or even relative been arrested & convicted of violent acts . . . and so often you still hear, "He/she seemed really nice, I thought I knew them real well, they lived next door to me for many years . . . etc".
No matter how secure a workplace is or how well you think you know the people around you . . . anyone can go postal & no one will be able to predict until it happens.
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Timber52
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Sep 18 @ 1:32PM
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Good Blog, it is a shame what happened.Although, we all can't pack hand guns and live in fear. If we did, a lot of innocent people could end up shot.
One just does not expect a co worker to wig out and kill them. I don't know how she could of prevented what happened to her. Instead of weapons, we should put God back in our country!!
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eastham
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Sep 18 @ 2:16PM
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There seems to be an enormous difference of opinion of Clark -- those who knew him outside of work or in childhood have a very different opinion of the lab technician than his co-workers.
Most companies do a very poor job of checking the credentials of new hires. A human resources website I visited gave numerous examples of companies who found themselves liable for the violent conduct of their employees, because they failed to undertake even the simplest of background checks. In one case, an Avis franchise was sued after a new hire raped a co-worker. Had they done any checking, they would have discovered that the young man never attended college and has been serving time in prison for sexual assault during the years he claimed to have attended college. One call to the college would have confirmed the applicant was never enrolled.
Yale's security measures, while laudable, were outwardly focused. Indeed, Yale has never had a reputation as the best employer of low-level workers. Interestingly, most fatal cases of workplace violence occur in hospitals and nursing facilities.
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cbond35
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Sep 18 @ 2:38PM
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we all can't pack hand guns and live in fear
I never have an ounce of fear when I'm "packing".
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eastham
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Sep 18 @ 3:10PM
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But the sheer fact that you are armed demonstrates you are fearful.
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masonfun52
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Sep 18 @ 3:29PM
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Instead of weapons, we should put God back in our country!! God isn't going to stop the crazies from killing others. 
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legacy1
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Sep 18 @ 4:44PM
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I feel bad for the whole family & the poor guy that was going to marry her. And to have her body discovered on their scheduled wedding day...Ugh, I couldn't imagine the pain that poor fellow is going through.
I will not debate the gun control issue for I believe this blog was truely about an innocent person taken from this earth for a no good reason. May she rest in peace!
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bardnsage
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Sep 19 @ 12:36AM
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I reluctantly move into this blog,,,,, but,,,, I almost feel I must.
Workplace violence is a broad catagory accident type that covers accidents and injuries that result from assualts,, or worse. As far as the official OSHA guidelines,, and statistics from BLS,,, there is no real deliniation between violent acts from co-workers,,, or from outside influences. Hey,,, you got shot,,, workplace violence.
While some professions,,, have a higher risk than others,,, such as convience store clerk,,, medical profession,,, etc....every job has the potential. Even if you are not the primary subject or target, you can still be a victum.
Most deaths from workplace violence occur from persons entering from outside. Ex-employees, ex-lovers, ex-spouses,,, etc. They enter, looking for a particular target,,, but take out anyone that happens to get in their way. You may not be the boss that fired them,,, or the girlfriend that cheated on them,,, or the wife that got custody,,, but you are in the way.
For these cases,, it's important to know your exits, your escape routes, etc. In addition,, a fire extinguisher discharged behind you as you run down the hall makes a pretty effective smoke screen. Once you clear the building,,, keep going. Don't bother running to the car,,, as the parking area is where many of these things come to an ugly end. Just get away,,, and get out of site. Does your company have an alarm plan for unauthorized entry in the facility?
For internal stuff,,, you need to know your coworkers,,, and the changes in their lives and/or behaviors can be indicitive of possible problems. A normally talkative employee,,, who has disengaged from the group, grown bitter, or any other drastic change in personality,,, could be an early warning sign.
Ask your company about thier WORKPLACE VIOLENCE PROGRAM. They should have one,,, written,,, that covers things like termination, responding to verbal threats, responding to physical harrasment, etc. If they don't,,, contact me,,,, and I'll be glad to quote one for them.
Also,, does your company have an EAP program. This is a very valuable tool when dealing with employees are going thorugh a hard patch,,, to get them help dealing with their problems,,, without the supervisors and managers getting all in the employee's business. This makes it easier for the supervisor to confront the employee,,, and easier for the employee to get help.
Another key componant,,, does your company have rules about dating coworkers, or spouses working in the same department. If they don't,, this can be a source of problems as one baby moma,,, and the baby daddy,,, fued with another baby moma,,, and they bring it to work. IT IS NEVER, EVER, EVER,,, A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP AT WORK. Just ask someone who has.
Lastly,,, and most important,,,, does your company have an avenue for everyone to alert managment that someone is having a problem,,, without fear of being pulled into the middle of something,,, or that the employee with the problem is going to get,,, "IN TROUBLE". How many times I've stood over police tape,,, and interviewed people who told me,,, "I thought he was just spouting off. I didn't know he was serious."
If that company had a safe communication path,,, the now broken employee,,, could have been directed to an EAP,,, or his work problems handled,,, long before the feelings of hoplessness and rage pushed them into a position that hurt someone else.
In this case,,, a verbaly abusive employee,,, or one who sends abusive emails or texts,,, should have hit the radar of the HR department. There should have been an easy, safe, path of communication,,, where any employee who was the subject of this behavior,,, or who had witnessed any of this behavior,,, could have started the process to get this guy the help he needed.
Now, instead of being an employee with a problem,, who might be helped. He is in the legal system,,, another employee is dead,,,, and the lawyers are stretched all the way to Harvard, waiting for the feed.
Yep,,, work is dangerous,,, but having a plan to identify hazards, and deal with them at the earlist possible point in the process,,, can keep people going home everynight.
East,,, I really liked this blog. Thanks,
Everyone,,, if you have questions about the safety of your workplace,,, don't hesitate to email me. And yes,,, I keep the mis-spelled words in my comments,,, so you know it's not a cut and paste.
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misschoos
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Sep 19 @ 3:45PM
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I read this the day you posted it and left a kudo, very interesting.
What is the percentage of deaths in the workplace due to gunshot out of the 42%?
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