By Sara Strong
In response to questions and suggestions from Parents: The Anti Drug and Violence Task Force, the Rock County Board of Commissioners gave an overview of county services relating to family issues and prevention of drug use.
Commissioners also addressed the county curfew issue, which was not passed last time it was on the table.
The Rock County Attorney's Office reviewed a possible curfew ordinance for the board to consider.
Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt said in a memo that there are positives and negatives to a potential curfew imposed by the county board.
Benefits are:
•A county wide curfew ordinance would provide law enforcement with reason to require juveniles to go home and stay there during appropriate hours.
•A county-wide curfew would provide “probable cause” to stop vehicles when it is apparent that occupants are in violation of the curfew. Those brief stops can be a tool to stop other illegal activities.
•A county-wide curfew might help identify at risk youth before other crimes are committed.
Possible drawbacks are:
•Vajgrt said he is concerned “that enforcement of a curfew ordinance will take deputies away from matters that should have higher priority. To date this year, law enforcement has made 31 DWI arrests in Rock County. I see this trend toward higher numbers continuing. A majority of DWI arrests occur during the time periods in which the county-wide curfew would be enforced. A deputy cannot be on patrol observing a drunk driver cross a center line if they are babysitting a juvenile while his/her parents are notified that their child has been brought to the Law Enforcement Center.”
•“A county wide curfew might, in my opinion, strengthen the misguided belief that the supervision of young people is a function of law enforcement, corrections and the courts rather than parents.”
Commissioner Jane Wildung said that the structure of the Law Enforcement Center itself is a part of the issue. With no holding cell, officers have to sit with people in custody. In the case of juveniles, they would have to wait until a parent or guardian can pick up the curfew violator.
In the case of juveniles likely to be out past curfew, Wildung said, parents might not be home or available to pick up their children.
Other concerns for a county-wide curfew are the inconsistencies between cities and the county in general. The cities of Kenneth, Steen and Magnolia don't have curfews, and other cities have varying hours.
Officers would have to memorize the different ordinances and hope people younger than 18 didn't congregate in the towns without curfews.
The proposed ordinance set curfew hours for children younger than age 16 from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. For juveniles 16 to 18, the curfew would be from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. There would be exceptions for work and school activities at the least.
The ordinance wasn't voted on, but the County Board turned it back to the Rock County Collaborative for further review and input.
County service overview
Chair Wildung said, “The County Board takes concerns seriously and is trying to develop some type of protocol to address the issues of the community.”
Key services available to families of Rock County were presented to the board and attending public.
•Policing — Rock County Sheriff Ron McClure said the two months of community policing classes have made a big impact on the department. “We have really good guys and they really believe in the concept.”
Deputy Jeff Wieneke said most department members like community policing so far. Related to the drug issue, Wieneke said he thinks the department will be more open and get more information from the public. Beyond that, he thinks reorganization within the department will help in gathering evidence and completing warrants.
McClure said to look for more programs the department will be putting on for the community.
The Task Force had previously expressed interest in grants for a school resource officer, a police officer in the schools. The grants are past for this cycle and some applicants are already in for the next, but the county theorizes that scheduling and prioritizing time may make it possible to get a school officer even without the grant.
The grant Rock County researched is $125,000 over three years. A school officer would probably cost $70,000 a year in total needs, so the difference would have to be made up somewhere. So even if the county gets a grant at some point, local funds would be needed.
Task Force member Elaine Fick said, “I realize the cost is an issue, but my hope is that by the end of the three years, we find that we really need this and the cost is worth it, that we can’t get along without it.”
She said the county might actually save money on the front end of law enforcement, rather than spending more money in detention and court fees.
•Public Health — Paula Anderson, public health educator for Nobles Rock Public Health is also a member of the Collaborative. She said the Collaborative looked at curfews in the past and decided it was better to encourage parents to better monitor their children.
As a reference tool for parents, the Collaborative will be distributing magnets that list appropriate curfews for children of different ages. The guideline may help parents set rules for the family.
Through her work with the Collaborative and Public Health, Anderson is trying to reach parents in different ways — through print material, classes and possibly the Internet — to get them information on parenting issues.
She has contacts to help parents and community groups looking for speakers or general information.
•Mental Health — Scott Johnson, director of the Southwest Mental Health Center, said addiction aftercare typically goes through Stephanie Pierce at Luverne Community Hospital.
“When I worked with people on an inpatient basis,” Johnson said, “some of the worst things, the scariest people were on meth. … I knew one patient who had gone through treatment 36 times. It’s an ongoing problem.”
•Corrections —
Community Corrections deals with criminals on probation. Random drug tests are done in favor of scheduled tests, but the Task Force voiced concerns that those weren’t done often enough.
Now, eight adults are on probation in Rock County for felony drug charges, most of which are fifth degree or for small amounts.
•Rock County Collaborative — The Collaborative’s purpose is to empower parents and prevent risky behavior in young people.
The Collaborative is broken down into groups that work within certain ages and tailor programs to those ages. It has ongoing programs such as Healthy Families Home Visiting Project, gifts of “Rock-A-Bye Baby Reader,” Child Guide Program at the elementary school, Big Buddies, Book of the Week Club at Hills-Beaver Creek elementary, parenting seminars, summer recreation expansion, seatbelt checks, Top Teens, middle school after school program, and many others.