In 1999, the most recent year reported, workplace homicides dropped to 645, the lowest level since the bureau began counting them. Violent crimes against students age 12 to 18 are on the decline, but still 253,000 students fell victim to such crimes at school in 1998, according to a Justice Department report issued last year. Since then, fatal attacks have befallen a number of schools, notably Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., in 1999 and Santana High School in Santee, Calif., early this month. Irrational behavior by kids at school, by sports stars, by mom and dad, by people at work, has become the norm. Basically, we've created a breeding ground for violence.
Adults are in a survival mode.
We're doing it out of fear and we're doing it out of what's in it for me, me, me. Experts believe that many more incidents go unreported, perhaps as many as 5,000 a year. Increased awareness of the problem has led many airlines to impose new security features, including having crews carry handcuffs. Though homicides on the job are declining, the workplace remains a high-profile scene of rage. Businesses and other institutions typically seek help after high-profile incidents, such as the recent California school shooting or the office shooting in Wakefield, Mass., last December.