Anne P here. Ms. T is having a slow news day, so I’m here to spice things up with the excitement that happened at my workplace yesterday.
Well, technically not at my workplace, thankfully, but at the bank across the street, visible from my window. They were held up. We knew something was going on in this small town when most of the police department’s vehicles came roaring up, lights and sirens. The bank’s blinds were drawn by that point, too. But the officers were not running and no guns were drawn, so it seemed clear that whatever it was, it was already over with. People from other businesses on the street were on the sidewalk, wondering what was going on.
So I went on and walked to the post office as I had planned, and then on to my own (different) bank down the street. While I was out, the police helicopter arrived and started doing search patterns overhead.
My coworkers locked the outside doors and called colleagues who were elsewhere on campus, so they could avoid being taken hostage as they returned to the office.
Am I crazy? The police didn’t seem worked up or worried about people on the street. It seemed pretty unlikely the crook was hanging around within sight of the bank he’d just robbed. If he was going to grab a hostage, wouldn’t he do it immediately, rather than 10 or 15 minutes after the robbery?
Then again, criminals are not known for their logical thinking, so maybe my coworkers were right and I was being cavalier or naive. My head says that, but my gut still doesn’t believe it. I didn’t lose any sleep last night over this stupid thing I’d done, risking leaving my daughter to never know her mother.
I’m not sure where the spirituality comes into this, but it happened in the workplace, and hey, how often does a blog about the office get to feature a car chase? (Er, not that there was a car chase. He fled on foot. Sorry.)
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
I have to admit I don’t go out and check out the situation when the police helicopters are overhead….but you work in a place that seems much safer than our neighborhood (or anywhere I’ve worked!).
February 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am
This is why my parents have a police scanner.
I am actually surprised there weren’t more lookeyloos. Not sure what I would do. Probably, shrug and go about my business.
February 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Oh, all my coworkers were very interested in looking. Just out the windows, with the doors locked, not in person.
February 25th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
I am all for self-preservation. I would be as far away from the situation as possible (maybe safely inside a ladies restroom stall.) Not that I’m scared or anything. =) We had a situation at a former workplace where the bank across the street was robbed, and the robber fled on foot into one of the buildings adjacent to ours. While we were in no real danger, the last thing on my mind was catching a glimpse of any “action.” I kept asking people, “Do you think we can we go home?”
I’m reminded of my grandmother, who used to work at the WTC in the 70s. She has hilarious stories of fires, a bank robbery, and other suspicious incidents at the towers when she literally left the building, got on the subway, and went home.” Her manager would tell her, “You can’t leave - I haven’t given you permission,” and her response was basically, “If something happens to me, are you going to raise my child?” She never got fired or reprimanded for it.