Fired for stopping a robbery

[nawainwright]

Seattle Bank Teller Loses Job After Thwarting Heist - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News - FOXNews.com

I saw this a couple days ago, don't know if its been posted or not. I finally read it today and was particularly surprised by the statement a local police Sgt makes: "It really doesn't matter if you're a bank teller or a citizen walking down the street. Generally speaking, it's best to be a good witness,"

While I agree, if you can do nothing else, you should be focusing on what you can. But it seems to me that this puts the focus more on retribution rather than prevention. I mean, would this Sgt also advocate rape victims to not fight back and just "wait it out" so you can identify the person later?

I'll say that it certainly took guts for this teller to fight back, smartest thing to do? Perhaps not, but maybe it could have been. Not all robbers leave their victims alive.

Nevertheless, the implications of "being a good witness" seem to me, when taken to any length, to be cowardly...thoughts?

 

[rambone]

Seattle Bank Teller Loses Job After Thwarting Heist

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

By Joshua Rhett Miller Seattle Times

​

Jim Nicholson, 30, lost his job two days after thwarting a would-be bank robber at a Seattle branch.

Crime doesn't pay, and neither does stopping one.
A Seattle bank teller learned that lesson the hard way last week when he thwarted a would-be robbery — and got fired for bucking company policy.

Jim Nicholson was working at a Key Bank branch on Tuesday when a man wearing a beanie cap, dark clothing and sunglasses entered the bank and demanded money. That's when instinct overwhelmed him.

"They tell us that we're just supposed to comply, but my instincts kicked in and I did what's best to stop the guy," the 30-year-old Nicholson told The Seattle Times. "I thought if I let him go he would rob more banks and cause more problems."

Rather than comply with the robber's demands, Nicholson tossed his bag to the floor, lunged at the suspect and demanded to see a weapon.

"My intent was to grab his glasses off his face, or him," Nicholson told the paper.

The man ran, and Nicholson chased him for several blocks before knocking him down with help from a passerby. Nicholson then held the suspect, Aaron J. Sloan, 29, until police arrived.

Nicholson's reward? Two days after the failed heist, he was fired.

Key Bank spokeswoman Anne Foster declined to comment on his termination, but she said protecting the safety of employees and clients was the bank's top priority.

"Our policies and procedures are in the best interests of public safety and are consistent with industry standards," Foster said in a statement to FOXNews.com on Monday. "Money, which is insured, can be replaced. Lives cannot."

Seattle Police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb echoed Foster's sentiment.

"It really doesn't matter if you're a bank teller or a citizen walking down the street. Generally speaking, it's best to be a good witness," Whitcomb told FOXNews.com. "And quite honestly, this is also true for people who are off-duty police officers too."

In the event of a crime in progress, Whitcomb urged citizens to get a description of the suspect, especially of his or her clothing.

"It's best to help the people who are on duty, to help them catch the person," he said. "There's just so many bad people out there and there's so many variables."

Just days before the bank incident, Whitcomb said a clerk at a local convenience store in Seattle was killed when he tried to stop an armed robbery in progress.

"Would that have happened if the clerk just let the guy take the cash? I don't know," Whitcomb said.

Sloan, 29, has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for theft and robbery. He remains jailed on $1 million bail, officials at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said. Charges related to the attempted robbery have not yet been filed.

Nicholson, who could not be reached for comment Monday, told The Seattle Times it wasn't the first time he had pursued a thief, citing past experiences with shoplifters at retail jobs in New York and California.

"It's something I almost look forward to," Nicholson said. "It's a thrill and I'm an adrenaline-junkie person. It's the pursuit."

Nice. This guy rocks.

 

[Lucas156]

This is a bunch of bs what that police officer said. So if someone comes and threatens me I should just let them and risk losing my life? Screw that

 

[cosermann]

"Generally speaking, it's best to be a good VICTIM."

Fixed it to reflect what he really means. (And he even throws off-duty LEOs into the mix, which is incredible. "Hey, not my job, I'm off duty.")

Evil is ENCOURAGED when good men to NOTHING. It's simple, but some folks don't get it.

Evil will, therefore good must.

Oh, and I would PULL my money from that bank and tell them why.

"A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring." - Proverbs 25:26
"It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment." - Proverbs 18:5

 

[Doug]

Where do you guys come off standing on your own two feet and taking responsibility for yourselves!?!!
Don't you know that Obama won the election! We are all suposed to be "wards of the state" now.
Just shut up, follow the rules, and do as you are told.
Next thing you know, people will be trying to make their own decisions instead of just doing what the government and SSM (Socialist Supporting Media) tell them they're supposed to do.
All of us are supposed to accept our positions as helpless, brainless, sheeple who surrender all judgement and volition to the authorities.

Prediction: Someone will resist a criminal who will then shoot wildly, injuring a bystander. The one who resisted the criminal will be charged with "Reckless Endangerment" and sued by the injured bystander. Just wait for it.

End of Tongue in Cheek, Virulent Rant.

Doug

 

[kevinj110]

This is sickening I am sad to say that this is what our country is becoming. I never have and I wouldnt

 

[Bull]

They should have given this guy a raise and a new pistol of his choice and plastered that all over the news. I bet it wouldn't have happened again.

 

[SC_Shooter]

The bank's policies are exactly what happens when a business lets it's insurance company dictate policy. I'm sorry to say that this is the case just about everywhere these days...not anywhere that I have a say, but it's like that in most places.

If Key Bank is so concerned, why have they not adopted the same policies as SeaFirst Bank (it may be the same bank now...who knows!)? When I was in Seattle, I banked at SeaFirst and they literally had full plexi-glass shields at every teller position, an armed guard in the lobby and they actually CHARGED YOU EXTRA if you used a teller for a transaction instead of the ATM outside. When asked why, they said it was for "security reasons."

I dropped them because I thought their policies were about as anti-customer as I'd ever seen and wrote a letter to the CEO to explain all the reasons why. It probably never reached the guy or worked in any way, but I certainly felt the obligation to let them know at least ONE person had a problem with their system. As I wrote in the letter, 'if I am the only one who feels this way, change nothing. If I am one of hundreds, you may want to revisit your policies.'

For the life of me, I do not understand what the LEO was thinking. I get the idea of not wanting to encourage people who may not be very capable of putting themselves in harm's way, but this guy seems more than a little off base. Good grief Charlie Brown!!!

 

[CarmelHP]

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

 

[Dogman]

While I commend the tellers actions, he knew what the bank polices were before he took action, he was on company time and should have followed their policy.

 

[jeremy]

This is why big banks do not have any of my business...

 

[Beau]

While I commend the tellers actions, he knew what the bank polices were before he took action, he was on company time and should have followed their policy.

I understand what you are saying and disagree. Not all laws, rules or policies are just.

And now into what if land.

Say BG came in and took a hostage. An employee had an oppurtunity to nuetralize BG but didn't take it because it is against policy. BG kills hostage before leaving just for fun.

The decision of the employee should not be limited to what is or isn't against company policy. He probably knew he could loose his job but took the risk anyway. Good for him.

 

[nighthawk80]

Welcome to a nanny state. Just sit back and relax while the holagans roam free.

Sad, sad, sad.

 

[rambone]

I'd give no thought to "what the handbook says to do" in a situation like this. Dumb rules can get you killed. Granted, I don't know how far I'd pursue the guy, unless I was certain he was unarmed and a weaker opponent.

 

[Dogman]

I understand what you are saying and disagree. Not all laws, rules or policies are just.

And now into what if land.

Say BG came in and took a hostage. An employee had an oppurtunity to nuetralize BG but didn't take it because it is against policy. BG kills hostage before leaving just for fun.

The decision of the employee should not be limited to what is or isn't against company policy. He probably knew he could loose his job but took the risk anyway. Good for him.

Someone always thinks some law, rules, or policies aren't fair. What if an employee had the opportunity to try to neutralize a bad guy and it went wrong and more people were killed? Then people would be saying, why did he do what he did instead of just letting the bad guy go with the money. Luckily no one was killed. As I said before I do commend him for his actions even knowing that he may lose his job.

 

[Paco Bedejo]

This is sickening I am sad to say that this is what our country is becoming. I never have and I wouldnt

Be well, John Spartan...

 

[edsinger]

He will find another job soon...he did the RIGHT thing....If I used that bank I would pull my money out..

 

[45calibre]

Most bank robbers wanna be in and out

I also work at a bank and I would never even think about doing anything like that unless shots were fired. There were no shots fired no threats made and the guy chased the robber for blocks? Stupid in my opinion. He should have just gave him the money threw the die pack in there and collected his reward money for that. The die would have destroyed the money in the bag and bad guy won't be able to use it. The money is insured anyways

 

[kludge]

In the event of a crime in progress, Whitcomb urged citizens to get a description of the suspect, especially of his or her clothing.

"It's best to help the people who are on duty, to help them catch the person," he said.

But running them down and tackling them help the police catch them faster... and keeps costs down.

 

[cosermann]

But running them down and tackling them help the police catch them faster... and keeps costs down.

Right. They (i.e. law enforcement) only catch about 59% of bank robbers. Bank robbery has about the highest rate of being solved of any crime, and it's still not great.