# The Police Went To A Man's Employer To Complain About His Behavior; Is This Legal? Normal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161 "2022-08-23T12:32:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/21 "2022-08-23T15:09:46Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > But I’d say this particular case is the exception. Williams was doing this at his workplace so Walmart was involved and had a right to know what their employee was doing. - The manager is so oblivious that he doesn’t notice police entering the store and confronting customers numerous times? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/22 "2022-08-23T15:18:01Z")
^Or, it is such a commonplace thing it isn’t remarkable. ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/23 "2022-08-23T15:21:49Z")
Every Walmart store in my vicinity (Kansas) has a parking spot close to the front with a sign “Reserved for our Law Enforcement Partners.” Yeah, the cops are there a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/24 "2022-08-23T15:22:50Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > easy handling by the HR dept, with no legal hassles and appeals I don’t know, I kind of feel like, “He falsely reported our customers to the police for violent offenses” is a bit of a slam-dunk, HR-wise. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/25 "2022-08-23T15:27:43Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > The stuff this employee is alleged to have done is a lot more serious. The part of this story that I can’t figure out is: Why did the police go to the employer, instead of arresting _the employee_? ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/26 "2022-08-23T15:29:03Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > I’m surprised the employer didn’t take the opportunity to respond “Sorry, that’s a civil matter.” If you’re running a large retail store, you’d like to maintain a good relationship with with local law enforcement. Working with the police to address their concerns about one of your employees (instead of telling them to go away) is going to make your job easier in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/27 "2022-08-23T15:57:38Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ^Or, it is such a commonplace thing it isn’t remarkable. > [@running\_coach](#): > > The manager is so oblivious that he doesn’t notice police entering the store and confronting customers numerous times? Or it’s both so common it isn’t remarkable and the actual store manager didn’t happen to be standing right there ( or possibly even working ) at the time the police responded to Williams’ calls - according to the lawsuit Williams worked in loss prevention and it’s not implausible that police responding to his call would speak directly to him rather than whoever was in charge of the entire store at the time. It was a sergeant who returned the next day to speak to a person described as the “director” of the store ( I assume this was the store manager) and an assistant manager. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/28 "2022-08-23T16:01:42Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Or it’s both so common it isn’t remarkable and the actual store manager didn’t happen to be standing right there ( or possibly even working ) - It should still be a part of an official record. Not only to identify and bar repeat troublemakers but also the possibility of future court cases. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/29 "2022-08-23T16:07:26Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > The part of this story that I can’t figure out is: Why did the police go to the employer, instead of arresting _the employee_? They might have been trying to figure out if this behavior was something he came up with all on his own, or if it was some kind of semi-official store policy. “If you call and say there’s a trespasser, it will take them three hours to get here, so call and tell them there’s an “aggressive” person here, they’ll show up in five minutes.” ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/30 "2022-08-23T16:13:58Z")
Sure, it should be - but that doesn’t mean it actually was noted and brought to the store manager’s attention every time. Think about it - if the police spoke directly to Williams and refused to take action, was Williams likely to do anything that would get the incident recorded? Nope - he probably would have if the police arrested Mangum but that didn’t happen. And even if he did document that he called the police, he certainly wouldn’t have documented that the police determined that the report was false. I’m not defending Walmart or the manager - he should have been fired once the police notified Walmart of the false reports. Only saying that the store manager really might not have been aware of this pattern until he or she was notified by the police. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/31 "2022-08-23T17:26:00Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > This seems like an overstep of the Sheriff’s authority to me. If an person is routinely carrying out a criminal act, or a criminal-adjacent act, that’s really not the business of his employer, is it? If he were stealing from the employer, sure. But in this case?? He was calling them to the Walmart store, and falsely accusing customers of the Walmart store, while actively working as a Walmart employee. How on earth is that not the business of Walmart? > [@Keeve](#): > > The part of this story that I can’t figure out is: Why did the police go to the employer, instead of arresting _the employee_? Because the employer is responsible for providing a workplace free of harassment, for both employees and customers (and delivery people, while we’re at it.) ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/32 "2022-08-23T17:31:17Z")
You asked if it was legal. What law do you imagine the police are breaking? ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/33 "2022-08-23T17:35:12Z")
If I knew that, I wouldn’t have asked if it was legal. Does every “Is This Legal?” thread need a justification for what law the OP thinks was broken? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/34 "2022-08-23T17:35:12Z")
It would be overstepping if the police demanded the employee be fired, with no evidence. Giving the manager a heads-up is fine. Let Walmart decide if it is a fireable offense, checking their own evidence, is fine. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/35 "2022-08-23T17:45:47Z")
I just can’t imagine an actual law prohibiting such. Generally, the police can talk to whomever they want. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/36 "2022-08-23T17:55:16Z")
Pretty compassionate of the Sheriff’s office to give the guy some warning via his employer because his behavior was on the swift path to getting arrested for false reports which would likely have had him fired. This is a perfectly sensible intervention and a very measured response–frankly, I’m always a little surprised when cops show sense and decency so I’m not kicking here. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/37 "2022-08-23T17:58:39Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > The manager is so oblivious that he doesn’t notice police entering the store and confronting customers numerous times? The manager was probably aware that the police had been called to the store on several occasions. But I think it’s possible they may not have been aware that all of the claims were later judged to be false. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/38 "2022-08-23T18:06:57Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I don’t know, I kind of feel like, “He falsely reported our customers to the police for violent offenses” is a bit of a slam-dunk, HR-wise. A few years back, we fired three employees because they were using one of the chat apps at work to talk smack about coworkers and customers. The content of the chat logs was so bad, we all agreed that termination was the best course of action even though losing three people at once made life difficult for that line of business. You would have thought it was a slam dunk, but no. All three of them applied for unemployment, and one of them actually received it because we couldn’t produce documentation showing that she understood our acceptable use policy for email. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/39 "2022-08-23T18:09:34Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I just can’t imagine an actual law prohibiting such. Generally, the police can talk to whomever they want. It could be illegal. Let’s say you enjoy smoking marijuana on your days off, which is illegal in your area. The local police have arrested you a few times but you haven’t faced any serious penalties. So the police go to your workplace and tell your employer “We just wanted to tell you that your employee is a known drug user. Do you knowingly allow criminals to work here?” Your employer gets the message and doesn’t want any problems with the local police. So when you go to work that day, you’re told you’re fired. The police were using their authority to intimidate your employer into firing you. In many jurisdictions this would be a crime like Abuse of Power. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/40 "2022-08-23T18:10:48Z")
No, but usually when I see " Is this legal" questions here and elsewhere there’s some indication of why the person thinks it _might_ be illegal. For example , they might ask if it’s legal for their job to send them home four hours early on Friday if they worked an extra hour every day between Monday and Thursday since the law requires time and a half for working over 40 hours. Or they ask if it’s legal for the doctor’s office to call your name in the waiting room because of HIPAA. It’s hard to imagine any reason the police informing Walmart of this behavior would have been illegal- the police had no duty of confidentiality to him , there’s no reason to believe that the police said anything untrue and in fact , had the police arrested him for making a false report they could have put out a press release about it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161.md?page=3)