County Courthouse is a Hornet's Nest of Potential Violence
The Washington County Sheriff's Office is charged with keeping law and order ... well... orderly. Deputies deal with a variety of violence and chaos at the Washington County Courthouse, from freak-outs to all-out melees.
According to a Star Tribune article by Kevin Giles, the Washington County Courthouse ruckus in January wasn't an isolated incident:
The courthouse is a melting pot of the accused, the convicted and the violated; it’s a stew of judges, juries, attorneys, victims and their families. It’s a place where people in conflict mingle in close quarters. Tension runs high, and anyone can explode without warning — especially when being taken into custody.
The Sheriff's Office trains to deal with the constant threat of violence and chaos in the form of hidden weapons, unruly defendants, anger-filled family members of victims and a whole lot more.
