 National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C. Vol. 31, No. 15 * August 9, 1999 Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story Discussion groups explore violence and its offshoots Participants swap stories in first-of-its kind workshop By Mary Ann Barton
A man accused of smashing a windshield with a golf club was the first hothead cited under a new road rage law that recently took effect in St. Louis County. The man was angry because the other driver (in a brand-new Chevy Blazer), veered into his lane. That was 15 miles before the windshield-smashing incident. He will face a fine of between $500 to $1,000 plus a year in jail. That’s the kind of story that county officials heard in a give-and-take Monday, July 19, when delegates swapped stories about violence in their communities and ways to solve it in the first-of-its-kind workshop, Topic One Roundtables, at the Annual Conference. About 50 participants gathered in one room, scattering among 10 tables where they discussed violence sub-themes that included road rage, workplace violence, family support, the Internet and child abuse.
Officer Rick Ekhardt of the St. Louis County Police Department, told delegates how his county is combating road rage. In addition to the new ordinances recently created, the county also embarked on a Public Service Announcement ad campaign about aggressive driving and added a road rage component to its traffic school. Phil Rosenberg, Human Resources director for Broward County, Fla. (and County News’ HR Doctor columnist), talked to participants about ways they can reduce liabilities when it comes to workplace violence. His advice included "Document, document, document," understand and keep up with HR issues and practice early intervention to help employees and protect the organization. Counties should also have written policies on critical incident management and weapons at work. In a roundtable discussion about the Internet, led by Lt. John Belmar of the St. Louis Police Department, participants discussed ways in which the Internet is abused, including use by hate groups, and access to bomb-making recipes, pornography and illicit drugs. Some of the solutions included the use of filtering systems at libraries. Most participants said kids need to be kept busy with extracurricular activities such as after-school programs, keeping schools open year-round, collaborating between schools and parks, offering better child care and also offering classes to teach parents to be better parents. A discussion about child abuse, led by Dakota County (Minn.) Commissioner Patrice Bataglia, resulted in several possible solutions, including:
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