Hi-Tech-Consulting

Though all the facts are not in, it still seems incredible that Annie Le’s body could not be found in five days! This in a building with numerous card readers which should have pinpointed and recorded her every movement, not to mention the supposedly sophisticated IP digital video system.

What happened? Did the police not understand the system, could not someone at the University demonstrate its capability? Did they not trust it? Or worse not use it?

The authorities certainly knew the exact time Annie Le went into the building. They certainly had access to the information and event logs showing all her movements for that day, even that week. They must have known she never left.

Why weren’t dogs brought in the first day?

And certainly they had access to the same information about Raymond Clark, his every movement, his whereabouts at all times-and it still took nearly another week to arrest him. In fact we wonder if the Yale police were so incompetent that it wasn’t until New Haven got involved that progress was made.

One might expect something like this in a hick town city college in some backwater, but after all-this was YALE!

It’s amazing we are left with NO answers. The rest of the mainstream media seems to have ignored all these questions.

Workplace Violence: A Growing Problem
ABC Action News (Tampa) (09/20/09) Dinh, Elizabeth

The arrest of Raymond Clark III for the murder of a fellow Yale student has drawn attention to the issue of violence in the workplace. Following the arrest, New Haven Police Chief, James Lewis, declared that the murder was “not about university crime, not about domestic crime, but an issue of workplace violence.” Chief Lewis went on to say that workplace violence is an increasing problem throughout the country. St. Peter’s College Prof. Dan Bates, who has taught workplace violence prevention classes for 10 years, said that it is important to know the warning signs of workplace violence including “when a person actually starts to manifest some overt behaviors and starts to scream, shout, threaten, things of this nature. Sabotage work products.” According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), homicide is the fourth-leading cause of work-related deaths in the United States. OSHA statistics indicate that nearly 1,000 workers are murdered and 1.5 million are assaulted every year. Although some professions have a higher risk of violence than others, experts recommend that all employees should be aware that if they are concerned about a coworker’s behavior, they can always contact someone in the Human Resources department.

Annie Le’s Death at Yale Puts Spotlight on Campus Security
New York Daily News (09/15/09) Black, Rosemary

Universities are expected to take a hard look at their security protocols following the murder of Yale student, Annie Le. Many campuses undertook a similar review of security measures after the Virginia Tech killings; and many now use video surveillance cameras; live cameras with around-the-clock monitoring; and official warning systems that convey safety alerts to students and staff instantly via email, text message, and Facebook. However, if Le’s murder has taught security officials anything it is that a university can never completely guarantee the safety of all students. As William Schmitz, director of safety and security at the Pratt Institute, laments, “A college or university campus is a microcosm of our society. While campus safety and security departments are invested in and committed to safeguarding campuses and students to the fullest extent possible, unfortunately crimes may still occur.”

Web Link

Chief: Yale Slaying an Instance of ‘Workplace Violence’
CNN International (09/18/09)

Although the motive in the homicide of Yale graduate student Annie Le remains unclear, the murder was likely the result of “workplace violence,” not a domestic incident, New Haven Police Chief James Lewis said on September 17. Lewis’ comments came after police arrested 24-year-old Raymond J. Clark III for allegedly strangling Le and stuffing her body in the wall of an off-campus research building where the two worked. Lewis said previously that Clark and Le passed each other in the hallway of the building, but would not say whether they knew each other. Meanwhile, Yale University President Richard Levin issued a statement saying that he and the school’s administration are “relieved” by the news of Clark’s arrest, but warned against rushing to judgment in the case. Levin also noted that Clark had nothing in his employment history at the university that would suggest that he could possibly be involved in such a crime.

Web Link

Security Management (09/09) Vol. 53, No. 9, P. 198; Anderson, William

A workable operational fraud-prevention program begins at the top with corporate backing. The CSO or top security chief can be an influential voice in defining the tenets of a fraud-prevention strategy and touting its value to the c-suite and lower-level managers. The implementation phase begins once governance is established. This phase involves assembling a fraud-assessment team, with members who hold diversified skill sets; creating a risk-assessment methodology that takes into account the organization’s risk-tolerance thresholds; a review of existing safeguards, controls, and prior risk assessments; locating existing gaps in the firm’s fraud-prevention program; and establishing an information-sharing network with other organizations and local law enforcement. Compliance is the last and most critical pillar. During the compliance phase, a company should test and audit its strategy. Additionally, it should be tweaked as necessary to account for changes in the organization, such as might arise in the event of a merger, for instance.

Avoid liability and claims by making sure your staff knows how to react and respond responsibly.

http://www.nightclubsecurity.com/

Human Resource Executive Online (09/02/09) Still, Sally; Lehner, Meghan

The economic recession that has gripped the nation for more than a year now has spurred an increase in employee theft, according to a report by i4cp Inc. That report found that 27 percent of respondents in companies with 10,000 or more employees have experienced an increase in workplace theft since the recession began. This theft has cost U.S. organizations roughly 7 percent of their annual revenues, a separate study by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners found. However, few companies have responded to the growing problem by implementing more or heightened surveillance. Employers risk becoming victims of employee theft if they do not take a number of proactive steps to combat this problem. For instance, human resources departments can help make sure their organizations are hiring the right employees by using pre-employment tests designed to predict potential theft problems. Employers can also prevent theft by their employees by using cash-reconciliation forms and by separating the AP and AR positions. Finally, employers should have anti-theft policies in place that require employees to report instances of theft.