Walmart fires Layton (Utah) guards for disarming shoplifter

[Blue_Tires]

Source: SL Tribune

The whole incident happened in matter of seconds, Lori Poulsen said.

She and the other security employees at the Layton Walmart Supercenter had stopped a man who had unwrapped a laptop and hidden it under his clothes. Trent Allen Longton was taken into an office, where he handed over the merchandise.

Poulsen watched as Longton, 25, reached to the small of his back and pulled out a gun, placed it on the side of his leg and cocked it. Poulsen announced "gun — hand" to let everyone know. Longton moved closer to the office door, where three other employees were standing. They raised their hands at the sight of the gun.

Security workers Shawn Ray and Justin Richins each grabbed Longton by an arm and spun him around. Poulsen then took the gun away from the man.

A week later, the four employees were fired.





Read more: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home/51231320-76/longton-poulsen-gun-employees.html.csp

[Ken Burch]

1. What the hell...were they supposed to GUN HIM DOWN?

Is WalMart mad because NOBODY got killed in this?

Brigham Young on a Postum Box...what's wrong with these people!

[ananda]

Does it occur to anyone that Walmart LIKES firing people for no good reason?

They fired a guy with a brain tumor for LEGALLY using medica marijuana.

[Ken Burch]

4. There is that.

n/t.

[indepat]

20. It's enough to cause one to wonder if Walmart is being rigidly inflexible, wholly stupid, and

evil incarnate in one foul swoop. :shrug:

[Kennah]

5. It's worse than that

He was armed, and they were not. They disarmed him, and possibly prevented further harm.

Stupid is as Wal-Mart does.

[atreides1]

16. WalMart probably missed out on the insurance

If the guy had decided to open fire and killed the employees...WalMart would have gotten a pay out...it's called "Peasant Insurance"...where the company takes out a policy on an employee, and if the employee dies on the job...then the employer gets the insurance money.

By the way, they are not required to inform the employee and the family doesn't get anything.

[naaman fletcher]

2. blame the lawyers, not walmart. nt.

[Ken Burch]

6. The LAWYERS wanted the security guys fired for preventing gunfire in the store?

uh...why?

[naaman fletcher]

7. yes, actually.

Well, slightly different, the lawyers have told every single retail store that your employees should not in any way be involved in any sort of incident like this because the risk of getting sued is too great.

[theoldman]

9. Exactly

[Ken Burch]

14. ...and the store wouldn't have been sued if they'd LET the guy start shooting his gun?

How the hell do the lawyers figure that nobody would have sued the store because they or their deceased relatives had been hit by a bullet as a result of the security guards NOT disarming the guy?

They must be teaching some WEIRD shit in law schools these days.

[naaman fletcher]

17. nope..

what happens is that Walmart needs insurance. So, to get good insurance rates Walmart comes up with employee handbooks and policies that employees must follow in order to minimize exposure to adverse rulings. It's pretty straight-forward stuff, really.

[xchrom]

3. oy. nt

[theoldman]

8. Walmart has issued specific instructions to their employees.

The employees violated the companies rules. Many companies have rules that tell the employees not to argue with a gun. When I had a business, I told my employees to hand over the money. I did not want them to risk their lives.

[Gin]

11. why have "security guards"?????

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. Intimidates some of the shoplifters into going elsewhere

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Walmart fired the bubba who threatened me with pepper spray

That was after he was disarmed and kissing the asphalt. Resisting or using violence is a clear violation of their policies and every employee knows it.

[boppers]

13. A friend of mine works security at a similar chain.

He's been reprimanded for.... being punched by a customer.

[Moonwalk]

15. And Policy is what every employee should think of when faced with a gun...

:crazy:

[Plucketeer]

18. I'd hate to have been

someone who had disarmed Jared Loughner BEFORE he opened fire in Tucson! And you KNOW the NRA would be on your ass! :crazy:

[saras]

19. Shootings don't hurt Wal-Mart any

If someone had been shot, Wal-Mart is covered by insurance, as pointed out above. And no, they couldn't be sued unless it was a Wal-Mart employee doing the shooting while on duty.

In addition, the likely response wouldn't have been people avoiding Wal-Mart, it would be new regulations which Wal-Mart's smaller competitors couldn't afford as easily as Wal-Mart.

And, no one high enough up the food chain for Wal-Mart to value hangs around in a retail store anyways. They're all disposable - shot, fired, who cares?

It's interesting that the manager was also fired, although according to the above post, and the newspaper article, he did nothing against policy. He just happened to be there.

[earcandle]

21. more insanity by the 1984 language crowd.. did they want them killed instead? Was this a plant?

Repuke industries suck 

[harvey007]

22. WTF???

WalMart's managers must be NUTS.

Those workers should have been given raises and commendations.

I hope the workers know THEY did the right thing and you don't always get rewarded when you do the right thing.