Response from the CMC, sounds like they took action to get help for the staff and make the building safe. Although the timeline of when these ladies found out, and the fact that they felt ousted from their jobs is so unfortunate. It is depressing that we live in such a modern and enlightened world, and yet this BS still happens to women every day.
"We previously shared with you the news that the Colorado Mountain Club and several of our employees were among victims of a criminal predator, who was arrested earlier this year and is facing multiple charges of placing hidden cameras in our office and throughout the Denver Metro area and violating individual privacy. We are appalled and angered by this terrible violation and its impact on our team, and we continue to work with authorities to support the case against him. We have been told by authorities conducting the investigation that all victims at CMC have been notified.
The perpetrator, now charged with several criminal offenses, is a former employee who was terminated in November 2019 after our investigation substantiated a complaint of bullying and harassment against a co-worker. At that time, there were no indications that any criminal behavior had taken place or that there were any safety concerns from our staff. It was not until January 2021 that we were alerted by police of suspected criminal activity involving hidden devices and privacy violations in our workplace.
The safety and well being of our staff, volunteers, and members is always our foremost priority. We immediately shared the information with staff and CMC members and quickly began our own assessment and action plan to support and protect our team.
If you watched Tuesday’s Channel 9 news story about a few CMC staff members filing a complaint and reporting feeling unsafe and unsupported, you may have questions about CMC’s response, which was not fully reported in the story. We deeply sympathize with those individuals victimized by this terrible crime and want to take this opportunity to provide facts about ways CMC is supporting our team through this terrible situation. Some of the actions we immediately took in January and February include:
• Having professional electronics sweep of the building performed (no cameras or other recording devices found).
• Providing all staff 20 additional days of paid time off to heal and process.
• Providing multiple group counseling sessions for female staff lead by a licensed therapist
• Making available to all staff one-on-one counseling sessions with a licensed therapist
• Working with the police department appointed victim advocate to gain insights and recommendations on how best to support staff, and providing her contact information for all staff
• Providing information about resources available through our Employee Assistance Program and how to file a workers' compensation claim if deemed appropriate
• Re-keying the building perimeter and CMC offices, and resetting all building alarm codes
• Contacting our Information Technology support team and installing an upgraded anti-virus/malware system that uses state of the art technology to identify threats on computers
• Beginning the process to quickly replace all computers originally set-up by Mr. Chiang
• Working with IT security team to help identify and resolve any security risks
We continue to advocate for, and support our staff members, including some who have chosen to not yet return to the office. We are focused on proactively establishing a renewed sense of safety in the workplace and supporting team members.
Below is a timeline of the events to provide full transparency and bring clarity regarding our proactive actions; our collaborative work with law enforcement to bring the offender to justice; our commitment to all our employees, and to address misleading statements in some reporting.
Timeline:
➢ November 2019: Chun Chiang terminated for bullying and harassment. No indication of criminal activity.
➢ September 2020: CMC’s Instagram account was hacked. We reported the hack to authorities. No indication that any criminal activity occurred at the CMC.
➢ December 2020: Golden Police informed CMC they had executed a search warrant on Mr.
Chiang’s residence and asked if we would be willing to cooperate if needed. We confirmed we would cooperate, however at that time we were not aware of any indication of criminal activity at CMC.
➢ January 2021: Golden Police recovered evidence of videos and contacted CMC to identify a victim. Within the week, CMC notified Senior Leadership, had a professional electronics sweep of the building performed and notified all staff about the cameras and the police investigation.
➢ February 2021: We provided staff with paid leave, therapy and counseling services, and victim advocates services; initiated security measures to bolster safety including re-keying buildings and offices; provided new computers and upgraded anti-malware systems and identified and resolved other potential security risks. CMC received notice that some employees obtained legal counsel and that no contact should be made with these employees except through their attorney.
➢ March 2021: We continued to implement enhanced security measures including the roll out of new computers, the installation of new alarm codes for the building and upgraded IT systems software. CMC was notified by Golden Police that Chiang had been arrested. The Golden Police advised us that they had contacted all the victims at the CMC location and made the victims aware of the crimes committed against them.
We are thankful for the overwhelming support from the CMC community and the gratitude that has been expressed by many in our community for our transparency and leadership through this difficult time. We will continue to keep you apprised of our ongoing work and unwavering commitment to the safety of our staff and members and the public. Thank you for your ongoing support and engagement. "
https://cmc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Imp ... zQScmvJ-Q4