Workplace Safety Presentation

Action Items

• Business owners: develop and communicate a written safety plan to all employees, including protocols for when to call police vs. manager
• Business owners: place a "cheater sheet" by store phones listing key information to provide dispatch (location, description, behavior, last direction, weapons)
• Business owners: review the city attorney's GIS map of leased areas and public right-of-way in uptown Sedona
• Business owners: ensure first aid kits include gloves and tourniquet/pressure materials, not just bandages
• Business owners: establish a shift handoff process for noting unusual or concerning individuals
• [Business owners: review ARS statutes on trespassing (13-1502), disorderly conduct (13-2904), harassment (13-2921), and threatening
• Employees: if trespassing someone, ensure they are identified by name or description before they leave so police can enforce the trespass if they return
• Individuals: reflect on personal fight/flight response and discuss safety plans with household or colleagues

Situational Awareness

• Trust your instincts — anxiety or unease is your body recognizing something is wrong ("the gift of fear")
• Watch for warning signs: someone taking pictures inside your business, loitering outside without intent to enter, unusual behavior that catches your attention
• Share concerns with coworkers discreetly so everyone is paying attention; communicate across neighboring businesses if you have that relationship
• Be aware of people in crisis — emotional, mental health-related, or substance-induced — and consider calling for help rather than ignoring
• Keep personal items, computers, and sensitive information out of public view
• Maintain a shift log or notebook for notable individuals so incoming employees are informed

Active Threat Response

• Know yourself: understand whether your instinct is to fight, flee, or freeze — this changes based on who you are with and your life stage; there is no shame in any response
• Have a plan: mentally rehearsing scenarios ("what if") reduces the chance of freezing
• If a threat is outside: lock your door, move to the back/kitchen, call 911 — don't assume someone else has called
• Get behind cover (not just concealment); prioritize your safety first, then others, then property
• Call back to report injuries even if the cause is incidental (falls, cuts from adrenaline, etc.)
• Priority order: self → others → pets → property
• If you can move to disrupt an escalating situation — physically moving yourself or asking an upset person to move — do so; it resets the brain

Trauma & Post-Incident Awareness

• People respond differently to trauma: some remain calm, some scream, some go quiet; give coworkers grace
• Returning to the location of an incident can be difficult for some employees and not others — recognize this varies
• Officers themselves are more sensitive after the uptown incident; expect heightened responses in the area
• After an incident, prepare for inquiries from employees, community, and media; decide in advance what you will and won't share

Trespassing Law (ARS 13-1502)

• As a business owner or authorized manager, you can verbally trespass anyone from your private establishment for any reason — they do not need to have committed a specific act
• Once verbally warned, if the person refuses to leave, call 911 with their description; officers can then arrest them
• Trespass is logged in the police system and remains in effect; if the person returns, report it to dispatch referencing the earlier trespass
• Trespassing outside your establishment (sidewalks, public right-of-way) is legally complex — if the space appears publicly accessible to a reasonable person, enforcement is more difficult
• The city attorney's map of uptown leased areas and sidewalks exists but is difficult to interpret even for officers; dining permit areas (Title IV) are clearer
• Recommendation: stay inside your business to maximize control and avoid ambiguity about jurisdiction

Disorderly Conduct, Harassment & Threatening

• Disorderly conduct (ARS 13-2904): fighting, seriously disruptive behavior, unreasonable noise, abusive language likely to provoke retaliation
• Harassment (ARS 13-2921): knowingly and repeatedly contacting someone in a way that causes distress, including phone calls; you are not obligated to engage
  • Tip: use a call screening message to filter harassing callers; log repeat numbers
• Threatening (ARS 13-1202): threats of physical injury by word or conduct; threats must be believable to a reasonable person — context matters
• Enforcement is sometimes inconsistent between officers; if you feel unheard, it is acceptable to request a sergeant

Calling 911 Effectively

• Call 911 (not the non-emergency line) when: someone is refusing to leave after a trespass warning, a verbal altercation makes you fear for safety, or a suspicious person is making you uncomfortable
• 911 via text is also available — useful when it's unsafe to speak aloud
• Key information to provide dispatch:
  • Your location
  • What is happening
  • Who is doing it and what they look like (clothing, hair, distinguishing features)
  • Their last known direction
  • Whether weapons were seen
• Encourage employees to call directly rather than relaying through a manager — third-party calls lose critical detail
• Practice describing people so it becomes natural in a crisis

Victim Rights & Follow-Through

• If you want someone arrested, you need to identify yourself as a victim and be willing to cooperate with prosecution (statement, possible testimony)
• The Sedona PD has a victim advocate who can guide you through your rights and expectations

De-Escalation & First Amendment Auditors

• First Amendment auditors (people who deliberately provoke to capture reactions on video) are a known tactic; the goal is to draw businesses and police into unproductive interactions
• Do not engage — let them speak, don't match their energy, don't provide a reaction worth filming
• If someone is on the line between your entrance and the sidewalk, you can simply say "just don't come inside" and disengage
• De-escalation techniques: don't meet aggression with aggression, allow the person to feel heard, physically move to change the dynamic, ask them to move their feet
• Citizens' arrests: strongly discouraged except to protect a life; opens you to significant personal liability

Photography & Videotaping

• People have a First Amendment right to photograph/video in public spaces and from public sidewalks
• Inside your business, you set the rules — you can ask people not to photograph or trespass them if they refuse
• In a tourism environment, photography is very common; train staff on how to assertively but respectfully set personal boundaries

When to Call the Police

If someone is threatening or harassing you or disrupting business.

• Just call 911.
• The Director/Staff Member can ask them to leave for being disruptive.
• The Director/Staff Member can tell them that we will call the police if they don’t leave.

If they are acting aggressive, drunk or disorientated this constitutes disorderly conduct. While speaking to them, change your posture or stance so it is not in close proximity in front of them (it can feel too confrontational). Then don’t further engage with them.

(Be ready to give the police dispatcher a description of them and their behavior (aggressive, angry, confused, etc). It’s also helpful to note which direction they were headed when they left.)

If the person is near you, you can text 911 to the police.

When you Receive Phone Calls:

If you get a call from an angry person complaining about Sedona, you don’t need to listen to their nonstop rants. They will normally be loud, obnoxious and constantly interrupt you.

Respond calmly, “If you think someone has broken the law, please call the Sedona Police Dept. Their non-emergency phone number is 928-282-3100.” Then hang up.

If someone is leaving harassing calls and voice mails repeatedly,

• Write down their phone number and name.
• Save the voicemail message.
• Don’t return their calls.
• Report it to the Director.
• Leave a note for the staff for the following day.