SF Juve Under a WC Claims Assault By Robert Warne - March 19, 2003“Give me a face shield, some handcuffs and mace…I’m going in!”
Sounds like a Will Smith line from Independence Day, but it’s actually just a request by counselors at San Francisco’s juvenile hall.
Employees are tired of having urine thrown on them, and being spit on and beat up at the city’s Youth Guidance Center.
Whether they get their request or not is still up in the air, but at least they have close to a million dollars in workers’ compensation claims from last year to support their case.
One of the worst assaults in 2002 involved a large female juvenile choking a counselor. Another incident last year involved two male juveniles who attacked a counselor with 16 years of experience under his belt in which he suffered a torn knee socket.
The Juvenile Probation Department would like to see counselors nurturing relationships with the young detainees as a way curb the violence. But others admit that it’s tough to build relationships, especially since many are there just to pick up a paycheck.
So soon, if workers’ compensation costs continue to rise at the Youth Guidance Center, employees will be in a position to say, “Give me a face shield, some handcuffs and mace…or I’ll be filing a claim!”
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