Walgreens Robbery Foiled By Pistol Packing Employee

Gort said:

I sent e-mail to Walgreens Corporate, praising the employee that probably saved lives of fellow employees, and that the future of this employee be secured, and said that, many people in Michigan were concerned for this employee,

Here is their e-mail to Me
May 12, 2011

Dear John,
Thank you for taking the time to email our Corporate Offices regarding an employee at our 875 E Napier Rd store location.

We are thankful that no customers nor any of our employees were injured during this incident. We're investigating the matter and will be speaking with all of our employees involved as part of that process.
Again, thank you for contacting our corporate office. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.
Sincerely,
April S.
Manager, Consumer Relations
Ref # 3067794
http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/...Store service&h3=Store management&h4=consumer

Click to expand...

I told them if the employee gets fired, I won't shop at their store anymore. I got the same response you did:

Thank you for taking the time to email our Corporate Offices regarding the exceptional service you received from , an employee at our 875 E Napier Rd store location.

We are thankful that no customers nor any of our employees were injured during this incident. We're investigating the matter and will be speaking with all of our employees involved as part of that process.

Again, thank you for contacting our corporate office. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.

Looks like a pre-packaged reply with blanks filled in. As for the private/mom-and-pop pharmacy without cameras... wow is that risky!! Like it was mentioned above, they could drop $40 and have a security cam! A PHARMACY without cameras?! That's really asking for it. ...But a Walgreens without cameras? I say no way... every one I've been in has MULTIPLE cameras, and rightly so! With perscription drug abuse already high and still rising, it seems that more and more pharmacies are being robbed. I'd probably insist on being armed while working there, too.

My doctor has a small in house pharmacy, cant be more than 14'x16', complete with a bullet hole in the front counter. No one was hurt, the BG missed panicked, and ran.

I got a canned response, too, & wrote back

May 16, 2011
Dear Krysta,

Thank you for taking the time to email our Corporate Offices regarding an employee at our store location.

We are thankful that no customers nor any of our employees were injured during this incident. We're investigating the matter and will be speaking with all of our employees involved as part of that process.

Again, thank you for contacting our corporate office. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your comments.

Sincerely,

April S.
Manager, Consumer Relations
Ref # 3069431

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My reply:
April,

I'm sure everyone is thankful that the employees weren't injured. The only reason they weren't is because one employee was lawfully armed for his own protection, & used it to defend his life and the life of his co-worker when armed criminals entered the store. When criminals try to move victims to a less-public location (whether that's walking to the back room of the store or driving to another place), it's likely those victims will be dead soon.

I want to hear from Walgreen's that the responsible citizen who saved 2 lives will keep his job & will not be punished in any way for his actions. Anything less will be a PR nightmare for Walgreen's, and will probably lead to other responsibly-armed citizens avoiding spending money with you. Giving him a promotion would be a way to honor him for saving 2 lives.

Even better, I want to know that Walgreen's corporate policy is to allow customers and employees to keep their right to self-defense when entering Walgreen's stores. It's obvious (from this incident & I'm sure many others across the country) that the company does nothing to prevent criminals from entering stores, or from robbing them, or from assaulting people inside or in parking lots.


Krysta XXX
Milwaukee, WI

@@@

PS - can someone post the address of the store, & PM me the night pharmacist's name?
I'd like to send him copies of the emails I wrote, & a "keep your chin up" note.
Failing that, can I send them to someone local who knows him & you pass them on?

Nice to get some semi-positive press once in a while.

Write to the CEO of Walgreens

Folks:
I too wrote to Walgreens on their website and I too have gotten the corporate doublespeak from April, whoever she is.
Below is the copy of the message I sent to the CEO - I suggest anyone interested in holding Walgreens accountable for ensuring positive action in regards to this employe do something similar:

Message for Greg Wasson, President and CEO

Mr. Wasson:

My apologies for troubling you directly, but as you can see from the information included below, I have been flooded with corporate-speak from April in your consumer relations department. While I am sure she is just following protocols in place to protect the company, she has never directly answered my questions. My hope is that someone such as yourself can do so.

My original message, sent in earlier this month via your website, is in regards to an employee of your Benton Township, MI location who was has a concealed carry permit and used a personal firearm to stop a robbery and possible hostage scenario in the store.

As a Walgreens customer, Walgreens investor and citizen concerned about our RKBA, I simply want to know what action Walgreen's has taken in regards to this employee.

If, on the one hand, you are publicly praising that employee for foiling a robbery and possibly saving the lives of those with which he/she worked, then you have just cemented a relationship with a long term customer who will sing your praises to others in my community. I have not seen anything in the media to suggest you have done so.

On the other hand, if you have penalized or fired that employee then you will have lost my support both as a consumer and an investor and ensured my negative impression of your organizations handling of this situation will be broadcast in a similar fashion.

So, If you would please answer that directly I would be most appreciative.

Sincerely,

you might want to consider lengthening the term RKBA to its full verbage in the future for someone who may not know what it means (or is unable to use google). other than that, it looks good.

Latest Update

Folks:

News article from today detailing the firing of pharmacist Jeremy Hoven can be viewed at: http://heraldpalladium.com/articles/2011/05/18/local_news/4820927.txt

I think anyone reading this note should write to the Walgreens CEO noted above to his personal attention at this address:
consumerrelations.bb@walgreens.com

Perhaps if enough of us stopped using Walgreens as our pharmacy resource they might think twice and offer him his job back.

Lee

email sent... ill let u guys know when i get a response

Email sent

+1 GOOD GUYS!!

all you guys beat me to the witty responses

Devery

Found this on the web-

EMAIL : greg.wasson@walgreens.com

Another response from WG

All emphasis below is mine... I can't believe this drivel!!!

Our policies in this area are designed to maintain the maximum safety of our customers and employees.
Store employees receive comprehensive training on our company's robbery procedures and how to react and respond to a potential robbery situation. In past incidents, employees have told us they've found this training effective. [The ones who survived - MKE]
These policies and training programs are endorsed by law enforcement, which strongly advises against confrontation of crime suspects.
Compliance is safer than confrontation. Through this practice, we have been able to maintain an exemplary record of safety.
We've made significant investments in security technology in recent years, including increasing the number of digital surveillance cameras at our stores.
With upgrades to security technology, we are able to provide police with high-resolution photographs and video of crime suspects.
We continue to invest in state-of-the-art security measures and high-definition surveillance equipment and hope that the apprehension of robbery suspects in the Benton Harbor area will prevent future crimes.
Thank you for contacting Walgreens to share your comments.

Sincerely,

Barbara S
Consumer Response Representative

Click to expand...

If they were truly concerned for safety, they'd have armed guards 24/7.

"Crime suspects"?? Give me a break!! A masked man is pointing a gun at you. That's not a "suspect". Perhaps in cases of shoplifting it's better to let them go, but in this case they intended to murder the staff.

And their reliance on cameras, giving police pictures of the criminals? Again, fine for shoplifters, but doesn't do a thing to stop the crime, and wouldn't have brought the 4 employees back to life.

Have the criminals in this case been apprehended (not including the corporate yahoos at WG)?

ETA: I googled "walgreens robbery" and got 633,000 hits.
"Walgreens murder" gave 6.4 MILLION results.
Tell me again how being vulnerable makes a person safer?

MKEgal said:

All emphasis below is mine... I can't believe this drivel!!!


If they were truly concerned for safety, they'd have armed guards 24/7.

"Crime suspects"?? Give me a break!! A masked man is pointing a gun at you. That's not a "suspect". Perhaps in cases of shoplifting it's better to let them go, but in this case they intended to murder the staff.

And their reliance on cameras, giving police pictures of the criminals? Again, fine for shoplifters, but doesn't do a thing to stop the crime, and wouldn't have brought the 4 employees back to life.

Have the criminals in this case been apprehended (not including the corporate yahoos at WG)?

Click to expand...

So if I'm an employee, I'm supposed to let the armed robber decide whether I live or die? Since the police say "Compliance is safer than confrontation", it must be true. Nope, sorry, it's my decision, not his!

Probably should forward those comments back to Walgreens. Hammer on them for a while, they are used to emailing a cover letter, then maybe an answer to a response, but its normally left at that. They never really get the facts at that point, those tend to stay on these kinds of forums and the lunch table.

this is the response i got.

Dear ***********,

Thank you for contacting Walgreens regarding this matter. Our policies in this area are designed to maintain the maximum safety of our customers and employees.Store employees receive comprehensive training on our company’s robbery procedures and how to react and respond to a potential robbery situation. In past incidents, employees have told us they’ve found this training effective.These policies and training programs are endorsed by law enforcement, which strongly advises against confrontation of crime suspects.Compliance is safer than confrontation. Through this practice, we have been able to maintain an exemplary record of safety.We’ve made significant investments in security technology in recent years, including increasing the number of digital surveillance cameras at our stores.With upgrades to security technology, we are able to provide police with high-resolution photographs and video of crime suspects.We continue to invest in state-of-the-art security measures and high-definition surveillance equipment and hope that the apprehension of robbery suspects in the Benton Harbor area will prevent future crimes. Thank you for contacting Walgreens to share your comments."



Sincerely,


Barbara S
Consumer Response Representative




my concern is...how does a security camera help save the lives of an employee or customer if said criminal decides to start shooting? sure,it MAY help catch them.but it cant physically stop them from doing the act...damage is already done by the time a security camera's ability is used.

Note, her initials are BS

my e mail sent off

ok let me see...

A scenario in my mind:

11:00 pm a robber comes in to Walgreen's and points his gun at a Clerk at the cash register, WHO if following Corporate Policy IS not legally carrying a weapon for self-protection.

Cameras are rolling and they catch the robbery as it happens, which could be sent to corporate via the internet or kept locally depending on the security system they have.

11:01 The clerk opens the draw and pulls out all the money. The gunman looks at the loot and demands more. The Clerk has made the required money drops and the drawer has the maximum amount allowed to be in there per corporate policy.

11:02 Gunman now with money in hand needs to make his escape with his newly gained wealth, shoves the money in his pocket and shoots dead the clerk 1) payback because they did not give him the amount of money he was expecting and/or 2) because the person behind the counter can id the bad-guy

11:20 Cops show up, store is closed for an investigation, clerk is dead


2 am, Cops still at store, clerk is still dead, districts managers are asking cops when can they open up the store...


3 am Cops wrap up investigation in store, take or request video form corporate, clerk is still dead, store Opens for business


6 am Cops have no idea who robber is and put out a plea to the news medias for help. Clerk is stead dead! Store is open again, making money


7 am and until the store goes belly up: They made their money and the Clerk is still DEAD


did I mention the Clerk is dead, yea I though I did! but that's ok as long as Walgreen's makes money!



SHAME ON YOU WALGREEN'S!

In the immortal words of Gomer Pyle, Americas 2nd Greatest Marine

SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!

Well you guys have already pretty much said what I, too, was thinking: police say that compliance is better than confrontation (depends entirely on the situation - in many situations, compliance still ends in DEATH); and who gives the slightest flying **** about cameras when a BG has a gun pointed at you? If I'm looking at the business end of a BG's gun, I can damn well guarantee that I'm not relieved to have such state-of-the-art security cameras. Cameras are great - to ID a gunman AFTER someone's been shot/killed. It's as if they put "catching the BG" on the same priority level as "keeping clerks' lives intact". LIVES BEFORE BGs!!! What - do they think if they allow armed clerks, they'll be drawing on shoplifters? But God forbid someone draw and fire on an armed robber who is giving every indication that he's going to committ violence.

And just to point out a contradiction: they state that "police say compliance is safer than confrontation", and yet, the police Lt. stated that he would've done the same thing (firing on the suspect). Hmmm.......

Maybe we could boycott Walgreens?