Just three hours after a gunman shot and killed several former coworkers at an Orlando business Monday morning, Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs had a message to the public.

  • Hundreds of workplace homicides since 2011
  • Co-workers may not feel comfortable reporting threats
  • Threats need to be investigated, even if they turn out to be unfounded

“For each of our citizens to be vigilant, if they see something that seems abnormal, they need to say something,” Jacobs said.

But reporting a coworker as a potential threat may not be easy.

Dave Benson has worked security details for Disney and two U.S. presidents. Benson said employees must feel comfortable about coming forward at work about a potential threat.

“(They need) confidentiality, when you can, and make sure your folks understand that, and non-retribution. No one’s going to share something if they think there’s going to be retaliation by others in the workplace,” Benson said.

The Center for Personal Protection and Safety reports that across the country, acts of violence in the workplace are carried out by current employees (43 percent), followed by former employees (22 percent). About 21 percent stem from domestic violence, while 14 percent are carried out by customers or clients.

Benson said threats usually aren’t eliminated quickly and have to be dealt with for a long time to ensure safety.

“Recognizing behaviors of concern, reporting them, and then taking action sometimes isn’t enough,” Benson said. "Sometimes, you need to provide counseling for people. You need to alert law enforcement, and the fact of the matter is, you have to monitor that situation."

Even if a threat is unfounded, Benson said it’s better to be safe than sorry.

“The worst thing that can happen is some embarrassment, because maybe we got it wrong -– we don’t know what’s going on in everybody’s lives. But that pales in comparison to if you don’t share that information,” Benson said. “We’ve had cases like that, and then tragedies like this (happen)."

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