# 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:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**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, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/41 "2022-08-23T18:11:23Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > I just can’t imagine an actual law prohibiting such. Generally, the police can talk to whomever they want. Some kind of slander, maybe? If they were just making stuff up about the guy to get him fired, that would be illegal. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/42 "2022-08-23T18:28:35Z")
I’m actually surprised the police went this route rather than go right to the arrest. People often say officers should do this or that first rather than arresting someone right away. I wonder if the employee made any more calls to the police after they talked to the boss? ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/43 "2022-08-23T18:44:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > 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. I’m having a hard time imagining how the facts as presented here would be considered a crime, but obviously I’m not familiar with every state and local statute. ---
**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, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/44 "2022-08-23T18:57:31Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > I’m having a hard time imagining how the facts as presented here would be considered a crime, but obviously I’m not familiar with every state and local statute. In Canada, it’s illegal for police to use information they have access to for their job for non-job related purposes. If the weed smoker isn’t guilty enough to be put in jail, then they’re not guilty enough for the police to be going around telling everyone that the guy is a criminal weed-smoker. Absent an actual charge or conviction, the information that the person was subject to an investigation is probably privileged. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/45 "2022-08-23T19:02:52Z")
In most of America, arrest records are public so I’m not sure that the officers would be using privileged information. ---
**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, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/46 "2022-08-23T19:06:15Z")
This is one of those situations where the details matter. It is probably perfectly legal for the police to tell the employer that the employee has been arrested a few times for smoking pot. After all, there are still places where arrests are published in a police blotter in the local newspaper, so the fact that someone was arrested is public information. Change it just a little bit though - the employee (Joe) really was arrested a few times for smoking pot but a police officer tells the employer about the arrest to get Joe fired because the cop objects to Joe dating the cop’s daughter and now it might be “official misconduct” since he used his authority for his own benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/47 "2022-08-23T19:33:45Z")
But in this case, I think the analogy would be if the police got repeated complaints that the employee was smoking marijuana in the parking lot of his workplace - in which case involving the store manager would seem appropriate. ---
**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, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/48 "2022-08-23T20:04:16Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > 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. This is exactly my line of reasoning on this subject. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/49 "2022-08-23T20:20:38Z")
Yes, I agree. The caller was acting as an employee, and called while an employee. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/50 "2022-08-23T20:43:26Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Change it just a little bit though - the employee (Joe) really was arrested a few times for smoking pot but a police officer tells the employer about the arrest to get Joe fired because the cop objects to Joe dating the cop’s daughter and now it might be “official misconduct” since he used his authority for his own benefit. How is he “using his authority” in this scenario? How is this different from any other dad reading about his daughter’s boyfriend’s arrests in the public police blotter and complaining about it to the employer? Unless he’s threatening some sort of official consequence (“Be a shame if I had to impound your car for that busted taillight I saw”) I don’t see where he’s committing “official misconduct”. As others have said, cops are allowed to have conversations with people – even ones driven by selfish motives – without it being a crime. ---
**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, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/51 "2022-08-23T20:55:13Z")
That’s why I said _might_ - was he in uniform? Driving a police car? On duty? Say he was a cop/show his shield? Did the employer already know he was a cop from prior interactions? Act like he was making this notification on behalf of the police department? ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/52 "2022-08-23T22:47:16Z")
How in the hell did this turn into so many “what if this” or “What if that” scenarios? Or questions that no here could even possibly answer? It’s like some folks are just throwing shit against the wall to see if anything sticks. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/53 "2022-08-23T23:02:40Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > It seems that a Walmart employee in Oregon had a habit of calling the cops on customers, making false claims about their actions, until one unjustly-persecuted customer had enough and raised some hell. The customer didn’t just raise some hell, he sued Walmart for racial profiling and they lost and now have to pay $4.4 million dollars. And that is why it was the business of the employer, Walmart. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/54 "2022-08-23T23:24:15Z")
If a person is complaining about people who he’s interacting with on employer time or through contact with these people with whom he’s first exposed to at his work, then you bet the employer must be made aware. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/55 "2022-08-23T23:31:04Z")
Because the main question in the thread has been answered, and peoples’ interests have expanded the subject to include related scenarios. You know, human curiosity. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/56 "2022-08-23T23:37:28Z")
I get that but still. I’m surprised no one asked what the cop’s shoe size was (as if that would be important–but I guess one never knows) edit: sorry folks. I guess I’m in one of those moods or something. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2022, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/57 "2022-08-23T23:45:43Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > 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. I’m pretty certain that that’s a jab at the police for their well-known disinterest in things that should get their attention. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/58 "2022-08-24T03:18:45Z")
I don’t think so. Police have finite resources that have to be allocated, just like anyone else. All things being equal, if they have to pick one of two incidents to respond to first, knowing that one of them is likely bogus (like the clerk’s calls from Walmart) is going to send them to the other one first most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2022, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-police-went-to-a-mans-employer-to-complain-about-his-behavior-is-this-legal-normal/970161/59 "2022-08-24T03:20:20Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > That was my line of thinking. If he’s committing a crime, nail him for that. If he’s just being a terrible employee – not the police’s business. Why can’t the police tell the truth to an employer about the actions of one of their employees? Even if it had nothing to do with the employer’s business so far it might eventually affect the business. If you owned a business wouldn’t you want the police to let you know that one of your employees has a record of filing false charges against people with the police? If the police were lying about this person it would be a different matter. [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=2)