An Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agent was wounded in California and a second one was killed. In their office. By one of their own. “Officials say that deputy special agent in charge Kevin Kozak was speaking with a subordinate officer, Ezekial Garcia, Thursday about Garcia’s job performance and that when the conversation escalated, Garcia opened fire,” cbsnews.com reported. “Kozak was wounded and is in stable condition at a nearby hospital, where officials say he is alert and speaking. A third ICE officer intervened, fatally shooting Garcia before anyone else could be harmed.” This unfortunate story raises a whole host of questions . . .
Yesterday, we looked at the need to avoid potentially violent situations on the street. In that situation, the potential victim [usually] has the time and space to avoid, de-escalate and /or escape. In the workplace, you have no such luxury. The person who may want to do you harm is right there with you, day after day. There is no escape.
You could quit your job. Who wants to quit their job? Who wants to be forced to quit their job by someone because of threats and intimidation? You have to deal with it. How?
To do anything officially, you need solid evidence against your potential aggressor and a workplace that responds to complaints without making you out to be the troublemaker. You could easily derail your career path and maybe even lose your job. And escalate the situation, moving it closer to violence.
And then there’s self-defense. Most workplaces are gun-free zones. Do you carry anyway? Do you use a non-firearm weapon system? Do you stay in condition orange all day? How do you deal with the threat of workplace violence?